December 8, 2016 – Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) are thrilled to announce two new recipients of the Fellowship for International Development Reporting. Journalists Frédérick Lavoie and Jennifer Yang will each receive $25,000 to report on critical global issues.
Jennifer Yang will report for the Toronto Star on Rh disease, which kills an estimated 100,000 infants in the developing world each year and causes brain damage in many that survive. It is a little-known disease in Canada, thanks to a team of Canadian researchers who contributed to its eradication in wealthy countries decades ago.
“Rh disease is the kind of story that can be a tough sell in this era of shrinking newsroom budgets. The problem is complex, the victims are far away, and the story is expensive to report from the field,” says Yang. “I hope my project will shed light on an important but little-known public health issue, while drawing attention to the gross inequities that allow preventable illnesses to persevere in the world’s poorest communities.”
Yang is working in partnership with the Global Reporting Centre.
Frédérick Lavoie’s project will explore complex issues of development in Bangladesh, and how they link back to an essential element: water. Through profiles of Bangladeshis from different walks of life, the challenges of water management – and the impacts of water and the environment on poverty – will be illuminated. His project will be published in Le Devoir.
“The issues Bangladesh is facing are the same ones that might affect the rest of the world over the next few decades. That’s why it’s so important to study this country’s challenges today,” says Lavoie.
An independent selection committee, chaired by Nick Taylor-Vaisey, president of the CAJ, selected the fellows. The jury included Jane Armstrong, CBC; Anyck Béraud, Radio-Canada; Pierre St-Arnaud, La Presse Canadienne; and Robert Steiner, Munk School of Global Affairs.
AKFC and the CAJ partner to manage the Fellowship for International Development Reporting. It is jointly funded by AKFC and Global Affairs Canada.
Learn more:
- Read about Lavoie, Yang, and our other current fellows
- Read about our past fellows and their projects
- Read the press release
Financial support:
