Development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Mentor-Facilitated Life Skills Programming - Greater Odds of Believing in Delaying Marriage and Child-Rearing

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Strategy researched
Mentor-facilitated life skills programming, with some also providing caregiver sessions

Impact achieved
3 evaluations demonstrated moderate improvements in psychosocial well-being, social support, and attitudes toward rites of passage. For instance, safe space participants in one study exhibited greater odds of believing in delaying marriage and child-rearing until after the age of 18 (adjusted odds ratio [aORs] of 1.88 and 2.04, respectively). Girls who participated reported one additional year for the highest grade of school a participant believes should be completed versus those who did not participate. Among those married or living with someone as if married, girls in the treatment arm were 43% less likely to be married at the end of the programme compared to those in the control arm.

Country of study
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

Research methodology
Systematic review with 7 studies (2 of them cluster RCTs)

Journal
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse; 2021

Journal paper title and link
The Effectiveness of Women and Girls Safe Spaces: A Systematic Review of Evidence to Address Violence Against Women and Girls in Humanitarian Contexts

Excerpt from Abstract
"In conflict and postconflict settings, the incidence of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is exacerbated, resulting in increased negative social, economic, health, and psychosocial effects. In an attempt to prevent and respond to the occurrence of VAWG in humanitarian settings, Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) have been promoted as a promising intervention....While none of the studies reported reductions in exposure to or incidence of VAWG among program participants, three evaluations demonstrated moderate improvements in psychosocial well-being, social support, and attitudes toward rites of passage."