Reachout Center Trust executive director Taib Abdulrahman at a past event. [Photo/Maxwell Ngala].
Journalists doing health reporting on drug abuse and how drug users are recovering from the vice will be awarded.Reachout Centre Trust, an organisation fighting drug abuse among residents in the Coast region has said that it will encourage health reporting on drug abuse among journalists based in the region.Speaking at Changamwe after he graced a youth forum on Monday, Reachout Centre Trust director Taib Abdulrahman said journalists in the region have been working towards enabling the organisation to reach many drug users and assist them in recovering.He said a section of journalists have taken the initiative of highlighting the health problems drug users go through and how they are struggling to disentangle themselves from the menace.Taib said recognising such health reporters will make them feel they are doing an exemplary job in the society, thus making them focus more on the positive news stories the organisation has been doing to help drug addicts.Taib said such journalists double up as social workers who dig deeper into details, analyse the drug abuse issue in the Coast region and seek facts and figures in highlighting the menace.“By doing this, our local media houses have made it possible for us to tackle the issue in the society. Everyone in the Coast region now knows about the negative impact of drug abuse and are supporting us in achieving our drug-free society objective,” he added.He said already journalists in the region doing health reporting have submitted their entries.“If the Media Council of Kenya recognises our journalists every year, why shouldn’t we do the same by recognising and encouraging our very own who have worked with us over the years?” asked Taib.He said starting from 2018, journalists will bag trophies, cash prizes, electronics such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops to enable them to work efficiently and highlight more positive encounters with recovering drug users in the region.The categories include livelihood programmes towards recovering drug users, gender, and drug policy among others.Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in Mombasa County that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published. http://bit.ly/2BipYa6