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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BBC WST Leprosy Project - Making an Impact

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Summary

Viewer and listener response to the campaign was reinforced by independent market research conducted by the ORG Centre for Social Research in New Delhi.

Surveys were conducted at the start of the campaign in November 1999, after the first round of campaigning in March 2000 and again after the second round in September 2000.



They showed that the campaign reached 59% of respondents, equivalent to 283 million people.

In an extensive study carriedout for the World Bank, with a sample size of 12,000, the reach of the mass media campaign was put even higher at 66%.

One of the most common misconceptions about leprosy in India is that it is hereditary.



Here the campaign had a marked impact, with the equivalent of 178 million people persuaded to reject this belief.

There was an equally important impact on the number of people who believe that leprosy can be caught by touch. This figure declined by the equivalent of 120 million people.



For more information, please see The Drum Beat 133.