Public Eye reporter rules the roost at awards event
MOSA MAOENG
MASERU – Public Eye Newspaper’s very own health reporter and award winning journalist, Lineo Mabekebeke, scooped the first prize and overall winner at the 2023 World Vision Lesotho Media Engagement in Child Protection and Justice for Children award ceremony which was held in Maseru on Wednesday this week. World Vision Lesotho awarded local journalists for their outstanding participation in the media engagement competition since last year, focusing on child hunger and malnutrition, online sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons.
“We raised awareness on child protection, trafficking in persons, child hunger and malnutrition, and online sexual exploitation,” said Mabekebeke in an interview with Public Eye after winning the award on Wednesday this week.
“So I entered the competition because I wanted to raise awareness on the issues, to create a safer world for children.”
Mabekebeke said she participated in the competition because she believes every child deserves protection and justice.
“Between the three topics, I chose to write about child hunger because Lesotho is currently facing hunger, with 34 percent of children in Lesotho experiencing stunted growth impacting both their physical development and learning abilities.”
Mabekebeke further said she chose to raise awareness on the child hunger because she believes nutrition is critical in any development agenda.
“When young children are not adequately nourished and provided with proper food they are at risk of malnutrition and stunted growth, a condition which needs attention,” she said.
This is not the first time Mabekebeke has entered this competition. “This is not my first time entering for this competition. I entered for the competition when it was launched last year, and at the time I was focusing on child labour,” she said.
Mabekebeke was the second runner-up at last year’s competition. “Of course, this year’s competition will not be the last,” Mabekebeke said. She further said: “The nature of my work does not allow me to report on issues during competitions only so I will continue writing, educating and informing the public on issues concerning children.
“My recommendations to other journalists are for us to keep on being the voice of the voiceless. Our communities need us more than we may think therefore let us keep doing our work, keep working hard to achieve a common goal, to educate and inform.”
Mabekebeke revealed she had also started entering international competitions starting from September this year.
She said going international helps journalists to gainfully interact with journalists from other countries.
“I have an experience in health reporting, but I am willing to grow old in this field, with the help of caring bosses and colleagues,” Mabekebeke added.
