Emmanuel BidaJune 1, 2026
Today, the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan has the pleasure of spotlighting the fellows selected for the Young Journalists Media Integrity Fellowship second cohort.
After a competitive selection process, five fellows including Patricia Dominic, Lextion Abdallah, Juru Bianka, Awan Achiek and Golda Charles were selected.
Read more about them below:
Awan Achiek
Awan Achiek is a South Sudanese award-winning journalist with over eight years of experience since 2018. He currently works for the Dawn Daily English Newspaper in Juba, South Sudan. He previously worked for several media houses, including The Witness, The Star Tribune, Top FM radio, and online platforms. He won two awards for Economic and Business Reporting in 2024 and 2025 from the Union of Journalists of South Sudan. He has attended academic and professional training in Kenya, India, and other countries, strengthening his media skills. The training enhanced his understanding of journalism and improved his reporting capacity significantly overall.
Bianka Juru
Bianka is a researcher and results driven Public Health professional with experience spanning community engagement and mobilization, qualitative and quantitative research methods, HIV, Health data management, Nutrition and WASH programs. She is skilled in communication, digital data tools, documentation and reporting, program planning and capacity building initiatives. She is passionate about contributing to impactful and sustainable health programs and improving community health outcomes.
Golda Charles Ochala
Golda Charles Ochala is a South Sudanese journalist, radio presenter, and digital content manager at Baraka FM 101.7. She holds an Advanced Certificate in Media from the Media Development Institute and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Golda has received professional journalism and media production training through Eye Radio and has experience in radio presentation, news production, social media management, and bilingual content creation. She is passionate about ethical journalism, media literacy, and promoting accurate information in South Sudan.
Lextion Abdallah Moses
Lextion Abdallah Moses currently works with the church-based Radio Maria in Juba, South Sudan since 2024. He is also a fourth year student at the University of Juba in the School of Journalism, Media and Communications Studies pursuing a degree program. As a student journalist, he is always curious to learn new ideas to enhance his understanding of trends and how to tackle confusions happening in the daily lives of South Sudanese. He always looks forward to connecting and learning from senior colleagues in the same profession for more knowledge and insights.
Patricia Dominic Emilio
Patricia Dominic Emilio is a journalist, radio presenter, news anchor, and reporter with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Media, and Communication Studies from the University of Juba. She works as a Broadcast Journalist at Eye Radio and Urban FM, where she also heads the Internship and News Department. She previously worked with SSBC. Her experience includes reporting, editing, anchoring, and radio production. She has previously worked for IMC, Nile Hope, and the Juba Peace Library in GBV response and women’s empowerment initiatives. She is trained in Radio Masterclass, Peace Journalism, Transitional Justice, First Aid, and GBV programming.
The Young Journalists Media Integrity Fellowship is part of our Electoral Fact-checking Initiative South Sudan project through the Innovation Fund for Citizen Participation in Electoral Processes in Africa, created in response to growing challenges facing the media sector, including misinformation, disinformation, limited fact-checking capacity, and ethical pressures within both traditional and digital media. Through structured training, mentorship, and practical learning, the young journalists will be trained on election fact-checking, observation, monitoring and how to ensure access to quality and credible election information.
Over the course of the two-month fellowship, participants will engage in sessions on media ethics, fact-checking, digital safety, responsible online engagement, and countering disinformation, while also developing practical outputs that contribute to a more informed electorate and resilient public discourse.
The Young Journalists Media Integrity Fellowship is implemented by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan, with the support of AfricTivistes, within the framework of the AHEAD Africa and Digitalise Youth projects, led by the Digital Democracy Initiative. This collaboration brings together regional and continental expertise in digital rights, civic engagement, and media development, ensuring the fellowship is grounded in both local realities and broader African digital democracy efforts.
Through this partnership, the fellowship seeks not only to build individual capacity but also to contribute to a wider movement promoting democratic values, credible information, and youth leadership in digital spaces across Africa.
