Freelance journalist Frédérick Lavoie and Toronto Star reporter Jennifer Yang are the winners of the 2017 Fellowships for International Development Reporting.
A joint initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Fellowships will award cash prizes of $25,000 to both Lavoie and Yang, giving them the opportunity to pursue in-depth reporting projects from the developing world.
Lavoie will travel throughout Bangladesh to report on Bangladeshis from diverse walks of life. He plans to explore the complex development issues they face, and how those issues link back to an essential element: water. His reporting will be published by Le Devoir.
Yang’s project will explore efforts to fight Rh disease in the developing world. Rh disease kills an estimated 100,000 infants each year, but is virtually unknown in wealthy countries thanks to its eradication decades ago by a team of Canadian researchers. She will work in partnership with the Global Reporting Centre and her reporting will be published in the Toronto Star.