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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Radio and Diabetes

2 comments
This was a radio campaign, started in 1970 in Jamaica, which attempted to educate the public about diabetes symptoms, treatments, and ways of living a normal life while suffering with the disease. (120,000 people - 6% of the population have diabetes.) The programme was meant to be a creative and "up-tempo" show which required no need for deep concentration to understand the point that was trying to be taught.
Communication Strategies

The radio comedy series was set in a deprived area of Jamaica. It focused on issues of hypoglycemia awareness, with radio characters discussing and instructing on diabetes issues. The Jamaican language was used to create a less formal feel for the show. A post-script was delivered on the issues and points covered by each program and a comic book was created for younger and low-level readers.

Development Issues

Diabetes.

Key Points

A large proportion of the population has diabetes, and this number cannot been lowered in any way, but the knowledge of the disease and the symptoms of it often go unnoticed. The programme chose radio as the media because of its greatest accessibility and penetration as opposed to other media in Jamaica. Objectives were to allow for identification of differences between Type 1 and Type 2, to apply self-monitoring knowledge, and to increase discussion of the topic.

Partners

Jamaican Diabetes Association, School of Continuing Studies - University of the West Indies.

Sources

A Field Report on Diabetes Education through Radio in Jamaica by Alma Mock Yen, Radio Education Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

Comments

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/19/2004 - 15:46 Permalink

This page did not give any of the informatio I needed for this work I am doing and neither did the other pages.

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/11/2005 - 20:27 Permalink

i was looking for info on Mock Yen..This site was EXTREMELY irrelevant!!!!!



[Editor: Alma Mock Yen is the contact person for the Radio and Diabetes - Jamaica Programme Experience and Impact Summary.]