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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Essential Medicines Programme - Côte d’Ivoire

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A wide-ranging partnership programme was established to optimise the use of human resources, based on the solving of problems through close cooperation between partners and the community involved. Community action in support of health continued based on four successive programmes, targeting budget aid to health, enabling the main programme to be strengthened and extended throughout the Côte d'Ivoire.
Communication Strategies

Discussions to determine the best means of bringing about reforms and support programmes. A structural adjustment programme implemented a sets of projects to support reform of the medicines policy through advocacy. More traditionally, health policies were also revised in combination with re-training of ministry staff. Maintaining dialogue was a priority of the programme.
Development Issues

Partnerships, health provision, HIV/AIDS, health and nutrition.
Key Points

In 1990 it was very difficult to obtain medical treatment in Côte d'Ivoire due in part to the degenerating infrastructure and poorly maintained equipment, in combination with low staff morale, near bankruptcy of the central pharmacy and economic difficulties. Initial results for this project were positive, with the re-establishment of the central pharmacy and the diversion of budget funds to priority areas, but problems of rural access and quality care were still areas of concern cited as future directions for efforts.
Partners



European Commission, World Bank, Ministry of Health, community groups

Sources

"Development" European Commission, (Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1998) December 1998, p. 23-24.