Code for Africa, under its Wanadata Initiative, hosted the charter.africa Community Voices Story Sprint, a two-day virtual event in French from November 7 -8 and in English from November 9-10, 2023. The event trained over 50 international journalists from AU member countries, the USA, and the Netherlands on the charter.africa open-source tool to amplify citizen voices and ensure government accountability.

On the first day, participants attended a two-hour training program covering:

1. Crafting compelling stories

2. Ethical and responsible reporting

3. Identifying key issues in democracy, elections, and governance

4. Strategies for community engagement

5. Hands-on training with charter.africa tools

Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Osayande delivered the keynote, emphasizing the power of community journalism in promoting change and the need for journalists to amplify marginalized voices.

Project Manager Sarah Gowon, Product Manager Damola Oladipo, and WanaData Community Coordinator Tholakele Nene conducted further training on using technology for local impact. 

On the second day, participants recapped tools and techniques before working in groups to create story pitches on democracy, elections, and governance. In the Anglophone Sessions, Group 3 won the competition, moving to round two, where they submitted individual stories.

Winning stories included:

1. Cecilia Machocho’s "Unheard Voices" on stakeholder consultation

2. Lilian Scovian’s "How Governance Ensures Equal Distribution of Healthcare Resources"

3. Wambui Mwaura’s "How Unequal Distribution of Healthcare Resources is Killing Kenyans"

4. Jackiel Opiyo’s "Local Climate Voices for Resilience and Government Accountability"

Jackiel Opiyo’s story won first place, with Wambui Mwaura as runner-up. Both received mentorship programs with Code for Africa and grants ($700 for Opiyo, $500 for Mwaura) to further develop their stories.

For the Francophone session, Ibrahim Inazoum won the first place $700 prize and Angele Dembele won the $500 runner up award.

The top contributors were recognized for their outstanding efforts. The project successfully raised awareness about responsible journalism and provided practical tools and guidelines for maintaining high ethical standards in reporting. Participants gained valuable skills, built networks, and contributed to strengthening democracy and ethical journalism.