The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is implementing a project titled “In the Name of Religion” in Nigeria and Sudan, two of the four African countries considered “of particular concern” for religious freedom by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The project aims to empower journalists with the necessary skills and storytelling abilities to overcome barriers to religious freedom and assist citizens in understanding the issues better.

The program involves a combination of virtual and in-person training, mentorship, and grant opportunities for Nigerian and Sudanese journalists. The key activities include online workshops and in-person training for journalists, mentored reporting on religious freedom stories, reporting grants, and the promotion of featured stories in major African media. Additionally, the program trains top performers from Nigeria to plan coverage of regional issues in religious freedom, fostering cross-border cooperation.

CRADI was engaged as a third party Monitoring and Evaluation organisation for the project. developed the evaluation inception report/rubrics outlining the evaluation methodology, criteria, deliverables, and timeline for submission. The evaluation will closely examine a total of 20 stories published by journalists who received training through the project, assessing achievements, documenting best practices, identifying challenges, and providing recommendations for improvement.

The evaluation will utilize an evaluation rubric for stories based on program indicators provided by ICFJ and its partners. CRADI will analyse the news stories based on these indicators and prepare quarterly and final reports highlighting the compiled data, lessons learned, and program impact.