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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African Religious Leaders Assembly on Children and HIV/AIDS

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From June 10-12, 2002, 120 senior religious leaders from across Africa (25% of whom are women) convened in Nairobi, Kenya on behalf of the Hope for African Children Initiative. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and to launch a continent-wide campaign to further engage religious communities in efforts to expand care and to reduce the stigma often associated with AIDS. Specifically, the Assembly was convened to galvanise the commitment and engagement of African religious leaders on behalf of children and to encourage them to mobilise their entire religious communities to:
  • Encourage social mobilisation of all levels to act on behalf of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS
  • Reduce stigma by confronting and breaking down the social shame of HIV/AIDS that is a major obstacle to effective action to address the needs of children
  • Promote the rights of children, as expressed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and
  • Engage political, traditional, civil society, and business leaders in efforts to work on behalf of children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Topics such as prevention, treatment, and institutional versus community-led care for orphans were addressed from a theological perspective.
Communication Strategies

Participants, who were chosen to ensure religious, geographic, and gender diversity, sought concrete support from the G8 leaders convening in late June in Kananaskis, Canada. They also organised the delivery of a plan of action to combat stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, as well as the role of faith-based groups in context of Global Trust Fund implementation strategy. There was also a multi-religious declaration of the moral commitment to address the needs of children in the face of HIV/AIDS and the organisation of a Plan of Action for a campaign led by religious leaders at the pan-African and national level to engage religious communities in the fight to reduce stigma and to promote proven approaches to meet the rights and needs of children. A 30-member African Religious Leaders Council was elected to provide ongoing leadership in the implementation of the plan and for the involvement of religious organisations in the Hope for African Children Initiative.

Development Issues

Children, HIV/AIDS, Rights.

Partners

Hope for African Children, CARE, Plan International, Save the Children, the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa, the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sources

Letter sent from Beatrice M. Spadacini to The Communication Initiative on May 8, 2002; and Hope for African Children site; and WCRP site.