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 lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Children Services Directory

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The South Africa Department of Social Development (DSD) is producing a Children Services Directory for each province of South Africa. The directory is intended to facilitate access to and help coordinate services for orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC). Funded by the United States (US) President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the project seeks to: help children and their caregivers identify sources of assistance; help the South African government ensure that services are available where needed; assist donors to better programme their OVC activities; and support OVC service providers in better targeting their activities.
Communication Strategies

The Children Services Directory is designed to support national strategies in developing comprehensive, integrated, and quality responses for vulnerable children at the programmatic level. The project has 6 key strategies: strengthening and supporting the capacity of families to protect and care; mobilising community-based responses for the care, support, and protection of OVC; ensuring that legislation, policy, strategies, and programmes are in place to protect most vulnerable children; assure access to essential services for OVC made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS; raise awareness and advocate for the creation of a supporting environment for OVC; and engage civil society and business in playing an active role in supporting OVC.

According to the organisers, the directory will provide information on the areas of service for non-profit organisations (NPOs) registered with the DSD and selected services offered by other departments. Over 72 civil society organisations, service providers, businesses, donors, and government representatives were consulted to develop the format and information contained in the directory.

The directory will be available in hard copy, online via the DSD website, on CD-ROM, and via short messaging service (SMS). The directory also features a mapping option connected with the web service that will allow users to understand from a strategic perspective what is happening in a specific area. Users will be able to identify service providers, determine where they are specifically located as well as relevant geographical features that may affect use of a service, and general statistical information on socio-economic data. This feature is being developed by Trialogue.

Provincial workshops involving HIV/AIDS stakeholders will be held to: introduce participants to the directory web service, both to search for a service and for strategic purposes; show them how sections of the CD-ROM can be printed; and demonstrate the use of the SMS function.

Click here to access the directory, which was expected to have been completed in August 2010 but is not yet available as of January 2011.

Development Issues

Children and HIV/AIDS

Partners

South Africa Department of Social Development, Population Council, HIV-911/HIVAN, Westat, and Trialogue.

Sources

OVC Mapping and Directory Project: Prioritizing the Children [PDF] on May 15 2010.

Comments

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/28/2010 - 06:30 Permalink

I found this information very useful, keep the good work. Chiku