Charles Wote is the Producer of Eye Radio's Breakfast Show -The Dawn

Eye Radio’s journalist Charles Wote has won an award for excellence in reporting on the impact of climate change.

He was awarded by the Union of Journalists of South Sudan in Juba on Thursday, 30 November 2023.

Wote has been extensively writing stories about the environment and climate change in the country and the region.

In August last year, Eye Radio published a story written by Wote about Garang Maguet Garang who was determined to transform South Sudan into a greener and more weather-friendly nation by planting 10 million trees in ten years, targeting schools, homes, and institutions.

In September, the Union of Journalists in South Sudan announced plans to award journalists for exceptional news reporting in November this year.

The Union’s chairperson said the award would be targeting journalists on specialized reporting.

Oyet Patrick said the aim was to promote good journalism, and professionalism and move journalists to specialize in various fields.

The award was presented to Wote by, Kamba Anthony, Campaign and Advocacy Manager of OXFAM.

Reacting to the award, Charles Wote said he was caught by surprise.

“It is a surprise to me, thank you so much UJoSS for this. I didn’t know that I was going to win this award because I just shared my story. It is a surprise to me, but hard work pays.”

Other journalists awarded were Emmanuel Patrick and James Atem Kuir Yak – Media Excellence Reporting on Health, Waakhe Simon Wudu – VOA, Media Excellence Reporting on Politics and Human Rights and Adia Evelyn Jildo, Juba Echo – Media Excellence Reporting on Peace Journalism.

Charles Wote is a South Sudanese award-winning multimedia Journalist, who has built his career in feature and human interest storytelling and has more than half a decade of experience in Broadcast Journalism.

Wote began working with Eye Radio in October 2017 as a stringer and is now the producer of the main flagship program – the Dawn Show as well as a news and program reporter.

In June 2023, he won a hackathon micro-grant award for strengthening Citizen Journalism through mobile broadcasting to increase access to information for communities in South Sudan’s Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State.

Before that, he was in July 2022 awarded by the Media Development Institute in Juba for his outstanding efforts in reporting on peacebuilding in the country.

Wote specializes in reporting well-researched human interest stories, as well as stories on governance, development, health, economy, education, entrepreneurship, migration, youth, agriculture, and climate change.

In October 2021, Wote visited the devastated Bor County of Jonglei State where he reported on the impact of flooding on Education, health, humanitarian services, and agriculture.

In January 2020, he also traveled to Northern Bahr el Ghazal State where he reported the impact of floods on Education and health in Aweil town and Aweil South counties.

In March this year, Wote also participated in the East and Horn of Africa Regional Media Workshop on Telling Migration Stories held in Nairobi, Kenya.