The impact of jhr's international programs is wide-reaching and powerful. We work hard to constantly monitor and evaluate the impact our programs are making, keeping us accountable and allowing us to constantly improve.

The following is a brief explanation of the different ways jhr is changing the world for the better. For specific examples of jhr's impact, click here.

jhr selects media partners that are wide-reaching and highly influential—allowing us to reach millions of people simultaneously with information on human rights in their own language. jhr estimates that the journalists it has worked with are now reaching over 20 million Africans with human rights information on a regular basis.

The resulting increase in public awareness has directly translated into improved human rights—people are better able to defend themselves and their loved ones from abuse.

jhr is working on a method to track its overall impact on rights awareness levels. It is a complicated procedure to isolate the media's impact on overall rights awareness and then to track improvements, but jhr is hopeful it can be accomplished.

The media, human rights, governance and corruption reduction are highly interconnected. When the media is able to pressure local governments to respect human rights, it improves governance standards in the process.

In addition, jhr's programs focus heavily on issues directly related to good governance and anti-corruption, including the right to vote, the right to assemble and the right to be treated without discrimination. jhr's programs are particularly effective in this respect during election time—ensuring the media acts as an effective watchdog on the democratic process.

In the process of running its projects, jhr has worked with over 2000 journalists across 16 African countries. The training they receive—in human rights, good governance journalism ethics, story structure, interview skills and technical skills — make them much better journalists. jhr's training activities are designed to provide trainee’s with a skill base that will serve them well for their entire career.

Good communication should be a two-way street. jhr's programs allow, often for the first time, the voices of those suffering rights abuses to be broadcast to the public. Vice versa, jhr's programs also allow government officials the opportunity to share their thoughts and efforts regarding human rights with the public. By creating open national dialogue on rights and governance issues, jhr is helping repair old rifts and providing hope for the future.

jhr has hired over 200 international journalism trainers to deliver our projects. Generally, they work for jhr for 6 to 8 months. During this time they acquire tremendous experiences, skills, and a detailed knowledge of the country they work in. jhr's programs are equipping international journalists with the skills to report more effectively and accurately on African issues—something that is sorely lacking at the moment.