Solutions Stories Creating Impact
The telemedicine story that spread — and improved — the practice
Philip Ngumu’s story on a telemedicine initiative in Makueni County was broadcast on the County FM’s affiliate station, one of the most listened-to stations in Eastern Kenya. After hearing it, Dr. Paul Musila, the County Executive Committee (CEC) member for health, told Ngumu the story helped his department better understand the telemedicine program’s impact and challenges. Crucially, it revealed weaknesses the county hadn’t learned from its usual sources. Musila said the county is committed to training new doctors and nurses for the program and modifying services for remote areas — needs revealed by Ngumu’s story. Moreover, delegates from neighboring counties, Kitui and Machakos, heard about the program from County FM and Ngumu at a regional meeting, and plan to launch their own telemedicine initiatives to improve rural health care access. Daniel Otunge of Science Africa said that solutions journalism made an impact because the story showed “evidence that the response was working and benefiting real people.” He added: “Doctors and nurses faced tech challenges due to aging equipment and poor phone connectivity in some remote areas. These limitations triggered an immediate policy response from the government.”
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The solutions story that helped fund healthy, local food
A story by Rwandan journalist Annonciata Byukusenge prompted a funder of Village Kitchen, an initiative that addresses childhood malnutrition by training parents to prepare balanced meals with local food, to increase its financial support. Byukusenge shared the published story directly with Samson Desie, UNICEF Rwanda nutritionist, who was a source for the article. Desie, impressed with the finished story, told Byukusenge that UNICEF would increase its investment in Village Kitchen due to the evidence provided in the story’s reporting on the initiative’s beneficiaries, who spoke of Village Kitchen’s effectiveness at reducing malnutrition. Following this conversation, UNICEF and China announced their support for the Government of Rwanda to enhance early childhood development, which includes tackling malnutrition and stunting among children. Daniel Otunge of Science Africa, which published the story, says, “The main thing SoJo added to the reporting on the malnutrition in Rwanda was the unique response to the problem by the government and communities working together, rather than just focusing on the problem.