Health Programs

The International Connection: Eligible International Applicants

• Southern Africa
  
• Romania
  
• New Zealand

While the majority of the Rosalynn Carter journalism fellows hail from the United States, international journalists have participated since 2001. As in the United States, mental illnesses in most countries are under-recognized health problems, often characterized by stigma and misinformation. The program awards fellowships in select countries to educate local journalists about mental health issues.

Southern Africa

To date, eight journalists from southern Africa have received fellowships. These journalists have covered a variety of topics for southern African readers, including: exploring the impact of trauma, shift work, and organizational changes on the mental health of southern African police officers; and a series of articles on the mental health of South Africans living with HIV/AIDS.

Citizens of Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe are eligible to apply for the southern African component of the fellowships.

Southern African applicants should send all application materials to:

Anton Harber
Caxton Professor of Journalism and Media Studies
University of the Witwatersrand
P Bag 3, Wits 2050
Johannesburg, South Africa

Applicants can also hand deliver materials to:
C/o Journalism Programme
506 Richard Ward Building
University of the Witwatersrand
1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Johannesburg
Email: anton@harber.co.za

Romania

In August 2007, two Romanian journalists were awarded Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. This is the first time that journalists from the Eastern European country participated in the program. The Carter Center and the Center for Independent Journalism in Bucharest, Romania, are partners in this important new program.

Romanian applicants should send all application materials to:

Ioana Avadani
Executive Director
Center for Independent Journalism
Str. Bibescu Voda nr. 18, Apt 4
Interfor 4, Sector 4
Bucuresti, Romania
040152
Email: ioana@cji.ro

New Zealand

A goal of the Rosalynn Carter fellowships is to help journalists report mental health issues more accurately and influence their colleagues to do the same. In 2006, the New Zealand Mental Health Media Grants program was established to sustain the work of the Rosalynn Carter fellowship program in New Zealand without The Carter Center. The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and the national anti-stigma campaign, "Like Minds, Like Mine," are co-creators and supporters of the new program.

The First recipient, radio journalist Halina Ogonowska-Coates, will be recording people's experience of mental illness to build up a media file of in-depth personal stories that can be drawn on by media at short notice.  She sees the collection as an opportunity to generate a greater community understanding of the actual experience of mental illness.

"We hope stigma and discrimination continues to diminish as we connect the voices of people with experience of mental illness with the wider world," said Judi Clements, chief executive of The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.

To apply, please visit: www.mediagrants.org.nz