IN KASALE’S SHOES

Caroline Phiri-Lubwika, veteran journalist from Zambia has filled in the big shoes of the late Beata Kasale as member of Women In News (WIN) Steering Committee. This was announced last week at WIN National Gathering in Gaborone. Lubwika, a journalist and communication specialist for over 24 years now, has coached and mentored WIN. WIN is a project targeted at Botswana media practitioners in mid-management. It runs a pilot project by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN/INFRA) in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia between 2010 and 2014. Her new roles include advising WIN on programming and project management issues, providing market leadership in terms of advocacy and advisory services working closely with advisory coordinator, Project Manager, and Africa Director and facilitating meetings, media visits, round tables with industry and institutional leaders in Botswana. She is also expected to intervene should the project team experience challenges with partners and would-be partners. Lubwika’s other duties include coordinating with Coach and Project Manager for national gatherings, supporting the Future leaders programme in liaison with Project Manager and National Mentor, supporting WIN advisory and facilitating buy-in and commitment from partners and advising on critical country and industry developments which may impact on the success of the WIN Programme. In an interview with The Midweek Sun, Lubwika said that she felt honoured and was looking forward to learning from other WINners. “I will do the best I can to ensure WIN and WIN Advisory become a formidable team,” she said. Her main thrust is more on media training, mentoring and capacity building ranging from children reporting, news writing to media ethics. She has also been a facilitator, planner and trainer for a Project on the Formulation of HIV and AIDS Policy and Code of Conduct in Botswana Media Houses from 2007 to 2009. Lubwika holds a diploma in Journalism from Africa Literature Centre in Zambia, a degree in Communication Science from the University of South Africa and a Master’s degree in Applied and Professional Ethics from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Beata was a founding mother of the Women In News programme, having been a great advocate and advisor since inception of the programme nine years ago, and later a Steering Committee member for Botswana. Her fingerprints can be seen on many empowering initiatives in sub-Saharan countries like Botswana, Senegal, Namibia and Zambia. She is remembered as a woman who gave female journalists a voice. She was a tireless champion of free and independent media in Botswana and irrevocably changed the landscape of the country’s media scene as the first female publisher of a newspaper company. Kasale co-founded and owned The Voice for 25 years till she passed last year.