Espérance Nzigire

I was born on February 14, 1982 in Bukavu, South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. I grew up in Goma and this is where I live now. My father is a shopkeeper and I am the eldest in a family of eight children, four girls and four boys. I work as a journalist for radio station in Goma, called RAOfm. I report for the news programme, read the news bulletin and host a show for children. Every summer, I also organise a summer camp for children at the radio station during the school holiday. I also host a show for women and girls trying to raise awareness about their role in society. I studied administration and pedagogy. I also took part in a training organised by the director of RAOfm on the production of radio shows for children and journalism. Being a journalist is something I have wanted to do since I was a child. I used to say to my father that I would like to work in a radio one day. I grew up with this idea in my head and I started taking part in a children's radio shows when I was 12-years-old. I started working at the state radio RTNC and then was offered a job at RAOfm by a former colleague who had already moved there. I have been a journalist for five years now. IWPR was very beneficial for me because I did not study journalism. There is no journalism school in Goma. IWPR has opened me to the world. I really appreciate the new perspectives that our IWPR trainer Melanie Gouby gives us on what it means to be a journalist in other countries. I also discovered that I have a talent for news gathering. Before I worked with IWPR, I doubted my capabilities - I did not think I had the right skills. Now I know I am really a journalist. I am very proud of a report I did for the radio programme Face à la Justice on the issue of inheritance for women. This report allowed me to accomplish one of my dreams, which was to prove to society that women are able. They are just as able as men if they are given the same chances.