The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Community-based Action Teams - Reduced Women's Experiences of IPV, Depression, and Partner Controlling Behaviour

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Strategy researched

A community-based intervention that sought to address violence against women and support victims of violence through action teams that are nominated by the community to carry out awareness of VAW, change gender norms, and create referral systems for victims

Impact achieved

During the past year, based on a difference between levels before and after the intervention, women experienced significant reduction of 9.3% less sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) in communities where the intervention happened compared to communities without the intervention. Other significant results from the difference between intervention and nonintervention communities include a 4.75% reduction in the rates of reported depression for women, 2.66% reduction in women reporting partner-controlling behaviour, and a 15% reduction in the reported prevalence of men's perpetration of emotional IPV.

Country of study

Ghana

Research methodology

RCT (3,280 participants with 1,640 per trial arm)

Journal

Global Health Action; August 2020

Journal paper title and link

Evaluation of the rural response system intervention to prevent violence against women: findings from a community-randomised controlled trial in the Central Region of Ghana

Excerpt from Abstract

"...the RRS intervention reduced women's experiences of IPV, depression, and partner controlling behaviour and some evidence of men's reported reductions in the perpetration of IPV. The RRS intervention warrants careful scale-up in Ghana and further research."

Summary at this link