Meet Cohort 1 fellows of the Africa Fact-Checking Fellowship – South Sudan

Woja Emmanuel

Woja Emmanuel Wani is a South Sudanese multimedia Journalist specializing in environmental journalism, health, education, and human rights reporting particularly matters distressing defenseless, marginalized or destitute clusters. He has been in the media profession since 2015 and has served at Juba Monitor and City Review Newspapers respectively in positions as a reporter.

Woja is a Diploma Graduate from the UMCAT School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Kampala Uganda. He is also excellent at cinematic storytelling and sourcing images, sound bites, for multimedia publication and award-winning writing techniques.

Has experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms, including print, radio, and online social media. Currently, Woja is a broadcast journalist at USAID funded radio program – Eye Radio serving as a news anchor, newsroom coordinator, and parcel editor.

Woja is expected to graduate with a bachelor degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Cavendish University, Kampala, Uganda next year. 

Maura Ajak

Maura Ajak is a South Sudanese freelance Journalist with over 6 years’ in Journalism. The young female media practitioner is passionate about reporting on human rights, governance, health, and investigative journalism. She is a recipient of AWIM Award on Peace and Governance Issues, a 2017 CEPO Human Rights Defender Award Winner, and a fellow with International Women Media Foundation 2017-2018.

 Ajak is an experienced journalist in broadcast and print journalism, photography, social media reporting and cross-cultural communications, where she currently serves as a reporter and deputy news editor at Catholic Reporter Network. On the other hand, she freelances with the United States’ Associated Press (AP).

Maura will this year finalize her diploma in Communications and Public Relations at the University of Juba.

Geu Lazarus Malak

Geu Lazarus Malak is a Digital Rights Activist who promotes rights to freedom of expression, press, and other rights around access to information. He does this through social media platforms by addressing contemporary challenges and encouraging youth to voice their concerns in a non-violent approach.

Lazarus is a YALI RLC EA alumnus who is  active at the Alumni Chapter of South Sudan. He is also a former Photojournalist and a writer at The Voice – South Sudan and a finalist for YALI MANDELA WASHINGTON FELLOWSHIP 2020 deferred to 2021 under Business Leadership. 

Geu holds bachelor degree in Business Administration – Marketing from Star International University.

Emmanuel Bida Thomas

Emmanuel Bida is a broadcast journalist and online content creator who works at Equator Broadcasting Corporation and South Sudan Exposed; a subsidiary of Remia Technologies – South Sudan. He has experience of working in the industry and is well versed with the current media trends.

Bida attained formal training at Yei Educational Professional Skills Training Center where he obtained a certificate in Journalism and Radio Presentation in 2016. He is also currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science from Remedial University College (since 2018) and a Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation at Tern Polytechnic Institute (since 2020).

As a Broadcast Journalist and Online Content Creator at the Equator, he is in charge of identifying and developing news, editing, compiles reports, and managing social media pages. Bida who also anchors news work continuously with the editorial teams tasked to generate and build news stories.

Okech Francis

Okech Francis who currently serves as news editor at The Dawn Daily Newspaper has 15 years of experience in journalism. He worked as a radio journalist between 2006 and in 2012. In 2013, he joined Citizen and the National Today newspapers respectively as news editor.

Okech’s journalism beats are political, humanitarian and economic news where he prioritizes writing feature stories and analysis with a human face aspect. He also works as a correspondent for the United States’ Bloomberg News Agency and The New Humanitarian.

He formerly worked with the Turkish News agency – Anadolu Agency between 2014 and 2016. Okech is at the last stages to finalized his bachelor degree in Journalism and Mass Communication at Kampala University.

Juan Evalyin Mulle

Juan Evalyn Mule is a South Sudanese female writer, poet, and journalist, who is also a renowned member of the South Sudanese Women Writers Group. She contributed and featured in “NO TIME TO MOURN” Anthology by South Sudanese women writers from around the globe that was recently published by Femrite Publication- currently selling at a price of $22. The project was funded by the UK charity organization – OXFAM.

Juan is a multimedia journalist working for various media houses both in Uganda and South Sudan. She previously interned with Eye Radio -a USAID-funded radio program as a news writer, reporter, and an anchor. The young passionate journalist also doubles as a student researcher for several organizations and initiatives on topics that promote peacebuilding, correlations, and social development in diverse communities.

Juan holds bachelor degree in Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Njejje University, Uganda.