Sonja Smith. Sonja Smith is an award-winning journalist based in Namibia. She is a member of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism and a correspondent for the Associated Press. Smith has worked for various Namibian media outlets, including Confidente, the Windhoek Observer, and The Namibian. At the 2021 Editors' Forum of Namibia Journalism Awards, Smith was named Journalist of the Year, and her investigative report “Grape Crops Bring in Millions, Farm Workers Live a Harsh Life” won the Best Agriculture and Environmental Award. At the annual Merck Foundation Africa Media Recognition Awards early in 2023, she won first place in the print category for the article “The Agony of Infertility,” which details how Namibian women struggled to get pregnant for 10 to 15 years.