George Kalu was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and later moved to South Africa in 1994. He completed his high school education in Johannesburg and went on to study at Rhodes University. At Rhodes, he earned a BA Degree with majors in Journalism and Media Studies and Politics. He also graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma in International Studies from the same institution. George’s journey at Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) began in 2003 when he started as a seasonal Media Monitor. In 2004, he became a permanent project coordinator at MMA. His early work involved project implementation and coordination, focusing on media monitoring and research projects related to human rights topics such as elections, children’s participation in the media, gender analysis, race, and xenophobia analysis, as well as radio news coverage. Around 2008, there was a need for someone to lead the Children’s Programme at MMA. George, who had a strong passion for children’s work from his involvement with a local church, took on this role. After some training and coaching, George became an expert on child participation and children’s rights in relation to the media. He trained children to monitor news and advocate for changes in how they were portrayed in media reports. He also provided training to journalists on how to engage with and listen to children during media interviews. Additionally, George conducted training sessions for practitioners from partner organizations in Uganda, Burundi, and Zambia on CRP and child participation in the context of media and children’s rights.
