Vicky Ntetema (born ) is a Tanzanian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

known for breaking the story about the murder of persons with albinism in Tanzania. Later, she became Executive Director of

Under the Same Sun Under The Same Sun (UTSS) is a Christian charitable organization that promotes the wellbeing of persons with albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and ...

(UTSS) in Tanzania.

Life and career

Ntetema was born in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

in 1958. With a government scholarship she studied in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and received her Master's degree in Journalism in 1985 and also received her MSc in Information Systems Development in 1998 at the London School of Economics in the UK. In 1991, Ntetema joined the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

as a Swahili an electronic media journalist (radio presenter and producer) in London and in 2006 a senior journalist and bureau chief for the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

in Tanzania. Ntetema came to notice when in 2008 she broke a story about the murder of persons with albinism in Tanzania. Ntetema later left the BBC to become Executive Director of Under the Same Sun in Tanzania, a Canadian charity promoting the human rights of persons with albinism. A post she held until her retirement in May 2018.

Reports on the persecution of persons with albinism in Tanzania

Ntetema's undercover investigation exposed that some Tanzanians saw persons with albinism as ghost-like beings and local witch doctors considered "their body parts as potent ingredients for magic charms" bringing success. Her reports were primarily responsible for drawing international attention to the situation. Due to threats against her, Ntetema had to go into hiding, required around the clock protection and had to leave the country twice for her own protection. In 2010, the

International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

awarded her the

Courage in Journalism Award The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

for her reports. In 2016, the U.S. Secretary of State

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

awarded Ntetema the

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

Awards

*Courage in Journalism Award in 2010 *Tanzania Women of Achievement Award in the category "Information and Communication" in 2013 *International Women of Courage Award in 2016

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ntetema, Vicky 1959 births Living people Tanzanian journalists BBC News people Tanzanian human rights activists Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award Tanzanian women journalists