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

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 22 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Backward and Forward Linkages That Strengthen Primary Education

0 comments
Summary

This paper provides an overview of 10 case studies on backward and forward linkages that work to strengthen primary education. The case studies describe voluntary and governmental efforts that work to address the reasons that specific groups and communities stay away from education. Each of the examples chosen is rural, partly because the intensity of social barriers is highest in areas distanced from the mainstream; and partly because lack of proximity to centres of political power and visibility compound problems of low infrastructure and personnel. The report finds that "though the trends are positive, it is much too early to make any definitive statements."Conclusions and Recommendations:

  • literacy figures do not reveal the full picture. The 2001 headcount has generated a debate on the interlinkages between women's status, education, literacy and economic development. There are no easy answers and no one-to-one correlation
  • sex ratios are rapidly declining in prosperous regions where most of the children go to primary school. Many more girls are being pulled out of school in Tamil Nadu and Andhra (especially after class VI or VII) to work as wage labour in farms (picking cotton or vegetables) and in family enterprises
  • economic prosperity has improved educational access, especially for girls in not-so-poor and middle-income families. But the situation of girls from poor 'below-the-poverty-line' households is a cause for concern
  • documentation and dissemination of experiences to a wider audience, in a language that is not too academic or formal, could trigger some debate in the media and among ordinary citizens of the country

The 10 case studies included these projects and organisations:

  • Appropriate Education Program of The Concerned for Working Children (CWC)
  • Namma Bhoomi of The Concerned for Working Children (CWC)
  • CINI ASHA
  • CREDA
  • Pratham
  • Nali Kali in Mysore
  • Digantar
  • Agragamee (non-formal education centres)
  • Muktangan
  • DPEP Hardoi

Click here for paper in PDF format.

Source

Eldis