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

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 22 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

HIV/AIDS School Education Action Days

0 comments
This 2-day programme addresses government primary schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in an effort to raise awareness and provide information about HIV/AIDS to pupils in different age groups. Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation Tanzania (CCBRT) runs the programme together with the Holistic HIV/AIDS Related Program (HARP), which focuses on HIV testing and counseling, legal aid, medical services, and orphan matters.
Communication Strategies

The project aims to reach 184 primary schools within Dar es Salaam. Each school is visited twice for one day by the CCBRT team. This team consists of 43 full-time CCBRT staff. These are 20 HIV field educators, 3 logistic personnel, and 20 professional animators who bring theatre, songs, steel band music, and other types of animation to the schools. The content of the animation, in particular, is prepared specifically for this programme and geared toward creating awareness and providing proper information on HIV/AIDS to the different age groups.


There is an interval of one week between the 2 teaching days. During a shorter third intervention, 2 teachers travel back to each school to specifically address the parents on HIV/AIDS-related issues, and to seek their feedback about the HIV education that was provided to their children.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Children, Youth.

Key Points

Engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS since 1994, CCBRT was asked by the government to develop a project proposal for creating awareness on HIV/AIDS issues in all primary schools of the Dar es Salaam region and, if possible, elsewhere as well. The first school presentation took place in February 2001. With assistance from CCBRT, school staff developed booklets for distribution to pupils aged 13 years and older.

Partners

The Royal Netherlands Embassy, CCBRT, HARP.

Sources

CCBRT site.