Imani M. Cheers's Blogs
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Been Around the World
My apologies on the month-long delay, its been a world wind! From protests over proposed pay raises for Prime Ministers in Nairobi to the failing health of ex-President Nelson Mandela as his 95th birthday nears, I’ve been super busy. I’m excited to be back in the U.S. but I have a lot of work to do. While I was away, I got engaged to a wonderful man and discovered several exciting stories in Tanzania and Kenya. One thing I learned was that mobile technology and health really encompass a variety of entities including agriculture. Stay tuned! Imani Cheers is a 2013 IRP New Media Fellow reporting from Tanzania. This post originally appeared on Imani's blog, The Cheers Report.
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Tanzania Bound
I’ve landed in Dar es Salaam after a grueling two-day commute, including an overnight layover in Johannesburg. I love Tanzania. I had the pleasure of spending the summer of 2006 working as a photojournalist for USAID/Tanzania and traveling the country documenting projects focusing on women and girls. It was an incredible experience and I’ve been fortunate enough to come back to this beautiful East African country twice since then. On this trip, I’m focusing on the intersections of mobile technology, health and agriculture impacting women and girls in urban and rural Tanzania. I had the honor of meeting with US Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt today and some of his USAID experts. The meeting was enlightening as I learned about several areas of importance for the US government, specifically innovations in food security, the importance of good governance and...
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Zambian Peace Corps Volunteers Develop Language App
With 72 official languages, communicating in Zambia can be tricky. Peace Corps Volunteers developed a mobile app, Bantu Babel, that translates useful words and phrases using your cell phone. Check out how it works and download it now from the Google Play store! Imani Cheers is a 2013 International Reporting Project New Media fellow. She is investigating the intersection of mobile technology and global health in South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire and Liberia.This post originally appeared on Imani's blog, The Cheers Report.
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7 Valuable Lessons Learned
I just returned from my first trip to South Africa, Zambia and Malawi and I learned some incredibly valuable lessons! 1. Now matter how much planning you do in advance, have a second, third and fourth plan in the works. I thought I was prepared and had my contacts and stories all lined up. Until 24 hours before my flight departed and my contacts in Malawi was not able to host me. I had to scramble to find additional stories and everything worked out fine but I was panicked for a couple days! 2. Bring extra equipment, batteries and electrical converters. My $3500 lens broke 4 days into my trip. For the first hour I FREAKED OUT since I didn’t have another one. Prayerfully, I was in Cape Town when I noticed the damage and was able to go to a Canon store and buy an...
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More Questions Than Answers
When I first proposed to examine and report on the impact of mHealth on women and girls in Africa, I’ll admit, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I’ve been a journalist for 14 years and spent many years reporting on arts and entertainment stories. I can interview a celebrity in my sleep and truly love the opportunity to chat with my favorite artist or actor! However, after a decade of working with very interesting people, I yearned for more substantive and positive content. I started at the PBS NewsHour in May 2010 and was eager to expand my repetoire to include education and hard news. After three years of preparation and training I am confident that my multimedia production and interpersonal skills will aid me in telling engaging, compelling and honest stories about the impact of...
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“Reinvent Africa”
I found this cool infographic listing innovation hubs in Africa. Imani Cheers is a 2013 International Reporting Project New Media fellow. She is investigating the intersection of mobile technology and global health in South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire and Liberia.This post originally appeared on Imani's blog, The Cheers Report.
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