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.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Published 19 years ago
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Habitat Forum (INHAF)

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Habitat Forum (INHAF) is an all-India platform to facilitate and promote information exchange, experience sharing, lateral learning and joint action among non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civic groups, building and development professionals, professional training institutions and students concerned with and working in the human settlements field. Capacity building and enhancing impact potential of these non-governmental actors and strengthening NGO/civil society role in the sector are INHAF's main objectives. INHAF's tools include an interactive informational website, as well as an offline Resource Center that offers capacity-building services and undertakes specific projects. The broad purpose of this initiative is described as "strengthening civil society towards advocating and influencing change in policies, institutional plans, programmes, projects, governance and management structures - all towards achieving a sustainable model of human settlements."
Communication Strategies
INHAF uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) as well as in-person, interactive experiences for the purpose of networking and advocacy such that various non-governmental actors - who are doing different things, working at different levels, in different parts of India - can come together, exchange ideas, share experiences, learn from each other and find ways and opportunities to work together. Designed to cover both the urban and rural settlements and committed to function in a decentralised manner, INHAF is structured to work through its five regional chapters. Formally registered as a non-profit society in 1999, as of July 2006 INHAF has over 180 active members in different parts of the country and is engaged in various activities in pursuit of its mandate. INHAF's secretariats at Bangalore and Ahmedabad co-ordinate organisation building, member servicing, sector monitoring and project-specific activities.

At the core of INHAF's networking function is an interactive web portal which is meant to serve as a "one-stop shop" for information on conferences, events, network contacts and other areas of interest in addition to an online library on "habitat" issues. (It is open to anyone, though members who log in have access to certain features, such as closed discussion groups). Both this website and the offline Resource Centre are meant to facilitate the following:
  • Information collection, documentation and dissemination
  • Collaboration and networking through building individual and organisational profiles, contacts and library database
  • Web-enabled e-discussions and interactions
  • A quarterly newsletter - The Resource Centre News - that serves as a forum for all stakeholders to share experience, reflections and methodological innovations
  • Organising demand-based capacity building and training sessions for identified constituencies
  • Developing partnerships with a diverse set of local organisations for specific tasks and initiatives
  • Undertaking various thematic activities in response to various needs and concerns of the members and non-members in pursuit of INHAF's objectives.
Development Issues
Environment, Rights.
Partners

Funded by the European Union.

Sources

Email from INHAF to The Communication Initiative on June 16 2006; and INHAF website.