Applications Invited for Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship 2025

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About the Organization

M S Swaminathan Research Foundation was established as a not-forprofit trust in 1988. Envisioned and founded by Professor M S Swaminathan, MSSRF aims to accelerate the use of modern science and technology for agricultural and rural development with the view to improve the lives and livelihoods of marginalised communities. The Foundation follows a pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature approach and strives to develop scientifically-sound and socially equitable solutions to address two main issues development challenges affecting rural communities- degradation of natural resource base and persistence of poverty. From a small beginning, MSSRF has made an impact across various dimensions, changing rural lives for the better. Over 600000 farm families and 250000 fisher households across 4000 villages covering 14 Indian states benefit every day.

About the Fellowship

The Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship (MSMF) was constituted with the main objective ofpromoting the exchange of ideas between researchers and journalists for stronger science-media partnerships. Ms Mina Swaminathan is widely recognized for her remarkable contributions to research and policy development on issues related to child development and gender equality and the role she played as a Committee Member in the creation of the Integrated Child Development Services. She was one of the founders of the Mobile Creches, a former chair of the Delhi Social Welfare Board, an Emeritus Trustee of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, a founding member of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies, and an international consultant with UNESCO and UNICEF on early Childhood Care and Education.

The Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship is instituted to honour her contributions to the field of gender and development. The 4-month fellowship is open to journalists reporting in Tamil, Malayalam and Odiya.

Theme:

Collective action by and for women has a long history in India. From neighbourhood self-help groups, joint liability groups, workers’ collectives/ trade unions, cooperatives, and political federationswomen have been harnessing the power and influence of group to challenge patriarchy, find solutions to their shared vulnerabilities, demand rights, resources and opportunities or to bring about larger socio-political transformations. These collectives could be small or large, formal or informal, local or transnational and may have formed organically or through external stimuli- but they all are formed with the objective of addressing shared problems. However, given the gendered institutions and norms that bind women to the domestic sphere and deny them spaces to voice their demands, women collectives may face numerous structural barriers and face patriarchal backlash right from the point of group mobilization to the point of achieving desired goals. And yet, we hear of many inspiring stories of the resilience of women’s collectives and remarkable contributions they make towards gender equality and transformative justice.

The theme for this year’s fellowship is “The Power of Collective: Women Coming Together for Change”. We invite journalists from the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Odisha to bring to the fore inspiring stories of rural women coming together as a collective to address various structural inequalities and injustices as the Mina Swaminathan Media Fellows 2025.

How to Apply

Application to be submitted with the following enclosures:

• Covering letter with a statement of motivation explaining why you must be awarded the Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship
• CV within two pages
• Work samples (published materials) in the language applied eg: Malayalam / Tamil / Odiya (Maximum five links. All samples must be published in 2024, and at least three should have covered gender and/or development issues)
• Two reference letters from experts familiar with your work

The decision of the selection committee is final. MSSRF encourages suitable applicants, especially women, reporting in the three regional languages to apply for the Fellowship. Application must clearly indicate ‘MSMF2025’ job code

Please send the applications by email before the last date to: admn@mssrf.res.in

Last date for applications January 22nd, 2025

For more information please check the Link

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Tags Children and Childcare Research Others