Rwandan journalism student reports
on CBC Radio

A report from Rwanda by Astrida Uwera, a third-year journalism student at the National University of Rwanda, will be broadcast tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC radio’s Global Village.

Uwera, who is 22 and the only woman in her class at NUR, successfully pitched, produced and fronted the report for CBC.

Her story is about how evangelical music helps heal the wounds of the genocide. She was guided by her teacher, Sylvia Thomson, who works at the CBC and spent two months in Rwanda teaching journalism with the Rwanda Initiative. Uwera was paid $300 CDN for her work and got a free T-shirt and CD of her report from CBC.

"I am very happy," said Astrida, who also thanked Thomson for her role in encouraging her to produce the report. "I learned a lot and you helped show me my dreams can come true,’’ Astrida said in a recent email to Sylvia. “You know, to work on a big radio station or TV like CBC. Thank you."