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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School Health Education

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School Health Education is a sexuality education programme based on social learning theory. Implemented by the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) Uganda, the programme uses interpersonal communication strategies to change basic attitudes about sexual intercourse and to encourage safer sexual behaviours, delays in the initiation of sexual intercourse and, among sexually experienced youth, reductions in the number of their sex partners. The programme addresses rural and urban in-school youth aged from 10 to 18 in Uganda.
Communication Strategies

The programme relies on existing structures, including a full-time health educator and health professionals. A local steering committee oversees the involvement and training of local leaders and heads of schools as well as of parents, teachers, and senior tutors.

During each school term, supportive supervisors visit each school to monitor the implementation of health education activities. These activities include:

  • Implementing the school health curriculum
  • Involving youth in forming school health clubs that sponsor competitions in plays, essays, poetry, and song on health issues
  • Training peer educators and implementing one-on-one peer education on sexual and reproductive health issues
  • Convening regular meetings of parents, teachers, and community leaders to discuss sexual health issues
  • Offering weekly training of senior tutors and science teachers to improve their skills as health educators
  • Organising sessions in which senior tutors answer students' questions and provide advice
  • Training students in local teachers colleges to implement the school health curriculum.
Development Issues

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Children, Youth.

Sources

Sue Alford, MLS, Nicole Cheetham, MHS, and Debra Hauser, MPH, "Science and Success in Developing Countries: Holistic Programs that Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections" [PDF] (Advocates for Youth, 2005).

Teaser Image
http://www.amref.org/silo/images/kitgum-girls-education-for-better-health-uganda_290x196.jpg