Nairobi: Forum for African Women Educationalists in Kenya (FAWEK) has trained journalists on Gender responsive and effective Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) reporting. The two-day training organized by FAWEK under the Imarisha Msichana project in partnership with MasterCard Foundation seeks to enhance the capacity of media practitioners to report professionally and ethically on gender sensitive reporting and SRHR reporting. According to Kenya News Agency, the journalists were drawn from various Kenyan television, print media, and radio stations across the 20 counties where the Imarisha Msichana project is being implemented. The training aimed at arming the journalists with the necessary tools and approach required to cover sensitive and complex SRHR topics with the care, sensitivity, and accuracy they demand. Notably, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence, access to contraception, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) all require more nuanced, consistent, and compassion ate coverage. FAWE Kenya CEO Jeanette Nyanjom, while speaking during the event in Nairobi, said the training represents a vital step toward bridging the knowledge gap towards framing and coverage of sexual and reproductive health rights reporting. 'Surveys and media scan conducted by FAWEK reveal that SRHR is misunderstood, underreported and misreported in the media,' she said, adding that SRHR issues affect countless women, young people, and entire communities. Nyanjom said the low coverage is attributed to the culture of silence, lack of training, and reluctance to properly articulate SRHR issues and their impact on society as newsworthy or of human interest. She highlighted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgency of these issues became clear, citing a surge in teenage pregnancies with around 150,000 cases reported in a single year. 'For so many girls, this meant disrupted education, limited opportunities, and altered futures,' she said. Nyanjom emphasized that interventions to curb this menace inc lude collaboration with key stakeholders to generate credible and acceptable data on teen pregnancies in Kenya that advise on apt solutions. She also championed for the re-entry of girls to school and the importance of sensitization forums for various community members on human sexuality and prevention of teen pregnancies. President of the Kenya Editors Guild Zubeidah Kananu remarked that the training provides media practitioners with the knowledge to address SRHR comprehensively and responsibly and fosters a supportive network of journalists committed to ethical and impactful reporting. Kananu observed that as SRHR issues evolve, particularly with advancements in healthcare and changing societal norms, journalists must stay informed and prepared. She noted the critical role men play in advancing SRHR and encouraged journalists to highlight stories where men are actively contributing to SRHR advocacy. On her part, Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) Executive Director Queenter Mbori emphasized that journalists must take the tools provided by FAWEK and others to lead the charge toward proactive, transformative SRHR reporting. Mbori noted that many media houses have created gender desks dedicated to amplifying voices around gender and SRHR issues, which can be powerful tools for change when used to their full potential. The Imarisha Msichana project is an initiative implemented by FAWE Kenya in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation. The program is being implemented in 20 counties in Kenya, including Nakuru, Nairobi, Machakos, Elgeyo Marakwet, and others.