Jacob is THRIVEGulu’s Media Specialist, tasked with photographing, video-taping and documenting THRIVE’s many outreach activities. His background is unique for a media professional – his Diploma from the East African Institute for Management Science in Gulu is in Social Work and Social Administration. In fact, this training and experience in Social Work makes him the ideal person for conducting interviews with sensitivity, empathy and confidentiality. Jacob reflects, “The theories and practical skills in Social Work that I acquired help me in my day-to-day work. I am comfortable talking to community members and making them feel at ease. I am able to gain their trust by showing them that I care.”
Since being hired to work in Communications at THRIVE, Jacob has embarked upon many learning opportunities: “At THRIVEGulu, I have developed my skills and experience in many different ways. The management is very supportive: for example, while I already have strong video editing skills, I’ve been able to pursue additional training on new software like Photo Shop, Adobe Premiere Pro and Illustrator.”
Jacob regularly documents THRIVEGulu’s activities in the field, providing a level of Monitoring & Evaluation that few organizations in Uganda have. He has learned how to conduct surveys, enter data and write success stories, all of which are useful for THRIVE in attracting donor attention. He takes a participatory approach to his interaction with community members: “I join hands with them, so that they feel they are part of a process that is much bigger. The people I interview are generally happy to share their story because they know it will help others in the long run.”
