Pheonah is a journalist with over seven years experience in media development programs. She earned a bachelor’s degree of Arts in Languages with a major in Communication from Uganda Christian University. As the Program Assistant for Center for Media Literacy and Community Development (CEMCOD), Pheonah is a key player in the implementation of the Community Media Project in Uganda, a project that amplifies youth voices in the development agenda of their communities. Working directly with young people she mentors, monitors and trains them in community media strategies. In February 2018, she led a team of selected Community Reporters to a three month exchange program to Zimbabwe, where she oversaw reporters as they shared community initiative practices. Pheonah recently worked on a project that documented the life stories of girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancy, advocating for the retainment and reeducation of these teen mothers. In 2016, she participated in the US Department of State funded Community Solutions Fellowship program, where she demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of transparency and accountability, earning a Learning Solutions Award from George Mason University. While at her host organization Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, she coordinated the Social Media department for the Swahili division, where she helped to improve two News programs (KwaUndani, VOA Express), to appeal to the younger social media consumers.
Host Organization: Voice of America
Role at Host Organization: Pheonah will conduct research and embark upon independent news reporting assignments. This will include script writing, video editing, and multimedia report and programming