About Us

The Sameera Gokal Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization, founded in July 2013 by journalist Sameera Gokal, that works to shape journalism in the developing world through internship and mentorship. The Foundation also provides financial assistance for student media projects.

Our program is based on frequent personal communication between the east and west.

Mentorship – Final-year bachelor’s degree students majoring in journalism in developing countries are paired for seven weeks with professional journalists in the U.S. as their mentors. The mentors are role models, advising the mentees and critiquing their work. All teams work on a small project towards the end of the program for possible publication.

Internship – Bachelor’s or master’s degree students in journalism in the U.S. complete a one-semester internship in which they mentor first-year undergraduate journalism students in a developing country. These interns also help revise or create new curricula of high standards.

The interns study abroad toward the end of their internship, where they not only visit media outlets but also teach in the classroom and work on a small project with students that could lead to publication opportunities. The internship also gives students a chance to build their portfolios.

Media Projects – The Foundation supports media projects in the developing world to shape and advance journalism studies.