Ngoni Dapira
FIELD officers from different Non-Governmental Organisation’s (NGOs) that are ACT Alliance members in Zimbabwe went through a journalism photography training refresher course last week Monday in a bid to improve their storytelling ability through pictures.

Act Alliance is a global alliance that has more than 150 churches and faith-based organisations working together in the areas of development, humanitarian work and advocacy in all regions of the world. Its members benefit from the on-the-ground experiences, resources, skill sets and best practices of one another, which are shared among the different organisations working together through formal and informal groupings. Through the ACT Alliance brand its members also have their voices amplified at all levels of relevant policy debates at national, regional and global level.

Some of the participants following proceedings during the workhop.

The facilitator of the one-day workshop was Simon Chambers who is part of the global Act Alliance secretariat as a director of communications, based in Toronto Canada. Chambers urged the field officers to focus on human interest pictures rather than evidence based pictures to tell a better story that is captivating to a global audience. “You should always think global when taking pictures so that your pictures tell a story to the world. They say a picture says a thousand words so this should be the aim when you take your pictures during field visits,” said Chambers

The agents also went through a refresher course on the basics of storytelling to improve on their reporting style. The one-day workshop was followed by a field trip to Ngangu township in Chimanimani where ACT Alliance is also doing humanitarian work with the Cyclone Idai affected communities that are still in need of shelter, food and WASH facilities after the devastating destruction caused by the cyclone.

One of the destructed houses in Ngangu township in Chimanimani where an entire family was reportedly swept away during the Cyclone Idai disaster.

Act Alliance Forum coordinator Sostina Takure organized the workshop citing that capacity building was critical in humanitarian aid work, especially for field officers that work with affected communities in various projects.