From her base at the weekly newspaper Savana in Maputo, Mozambique, Knight Health Journalism Fellow Mercedes Sayagues is producing health coverage that has transformed reporting at news organizations across the country.

Since her fellowship began in 2010, she has coached Savana journalists in the production of more than 200 stories, and the newspaper has consistently produced high-quality coverage of issues ranging from alcohol abuse to malnutrition to reproductive health. The coverage has increased the amount of attention other media outlets—such as the government-owned daily Noticias—now give to health issues.

Sayagues has trained dozens of print and radio journalists—from the capital city Maputo to the most remote rural district, Mueda. The resulting stories have brought to light the country’s harsh conditions and painfully poor health facilities. She has also produced training resources such as a video on covering obstetric fistula, a disease resulting from poor reproductive health care that affects thousands of women across Africa.