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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Impact Data - Safe Sex Among Medical Students - Nairobi

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A study of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical students, carried out by the Association of Medical Students of the University of Nairobi AIDS Awareness Campaign, combined practical training in quantitative and qualitative research skills with an AIDS prevention intervention for medical students at the university. This small pilot project was intended to contribute to the Family Health International AIDS Control and Prevention Project (AIDSCAP)'s overall larger campaign of peer education for worksites and higher education.

Methodologies
The medical students followed the initial focus group discussions with 2 more discussion groups that were conducted with 6 groups for a total of 119 participants. Student couples duplicated couple interactions and discussed safe sex behaviour, including abstinence, mutual monogamy, and condom use.
Knowledge Shifts
Pre-project knowledge of transmission methods of HIV was 100%. Knowledge of prevention methods increased from 73.3% to 81.3% (condoms). 73.3% advocated mutual monogamy pre-test; this percentage increased to 80.2% post-test. The percentage of people advocating abstinence increased from 59.3% to 75%.
Practices
Despite knowledge shifts, the percentage of students having sex with multiple partners increased from 18.9% to 26.3%. Besides providing information on constraints to behaviour change among medical students, evaluators found that the project was an important learning experience for student leaders on how to discuss safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Attitudes
Factors hindering change in behaviour included not feeling at risk (42.3%) and having one faithful partner (53.8%).
Access
119 medical students participated in the project.
Other Impacts
The authors believe that this pilot project is a model for using participatory research as a means of internalising the need for AIDS prevention while reaching students with peer education.
Source
Final Report for the AIDSCAP Program in Kenya: Country Program Description, Family Health International AIDS Control and Prevention Project - Final Report for the AIDSCAP Program in Kenya. September 1992 to December 1997 pages 159-161. A project funded by USAID.