Sylvia Vollenhoven created a weekly radio show that has transformed coverage of social issues and poverty in Ghana. On the popular “Hotline” show, Joy FM, the country’s top English language station, reporters have produced NPR-quality documentaries on topics ranging from the plight of illegal miners and the threat of erosion on fishing villages to the consequences of chronic flooding that kills dozens and leaves thousands homeless every year.

“Hotline” stories are featured on the station’s website and also aired on Joy FM’s five sister stations across the country, further increasing their reach. Listeners also can weigh in on these issues through telephone, Internet and SMS chats. Joy FM’s station managers formally launched the show this year to great fanfare—with at least two national advertisers on board.

After establishing "Hotline", Vollenhoven began building a national network of development reporters. She trained and mentored nearly 20 regional print and radio journalists in the production of in-depth features on social issues such as declining fish stocks that threaten Ghana’s food supply.