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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Impact Data - Family Planning Campaign - Bangladesh

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Methodologies
  • Baseline survey
  • Tracking surveys conducted at 12-month intervals among comparable, but independent survey samples of 1,000 respondents, half men, half women, equally distributed among rural and urban areas
  • Secondary analysis of survey data to determine to what extent apparent programme effects could be related to the exposure to the messages developed in this programme as opposed to other influences or sources of information
Knowledge Shifts
  • Although recall of specific message content had increased across most response categories in 1985, the most dramatic increase occurred in the mention of specific contraceptive methods, both generic and brand namesSpontaneous awareness among rural men of the pill increased from 77.7% in 1983 to 84.1% in 1985.
  • Spontaneous awareness among rural men of the condom increased from 52.1% in 1983 to 64.7% in 1985.
Practices
  • In 1985, 17.3% of respondents from the main target audience had sought information from someone about family planning, as compared to 11.3% in 1983.
  • Current use of modern methods among rural men increased from 14.4% in 1983 to 24.8% in 1985
  • Current use of any methods among rural men increased from 22.3% in 1983 to 30.6% in 1985
Attitudes
  • While general attitudes toward the concept of family planning were found to be overwhelmingly positive in all surveys (90% said it was "a good idea"), between 1983-85, the awareness and appreciation of the various benefits of family planning had increased substantially, most notably so in the recognition of the maternal and child health benefits (approximately 15% in 1983, as compared to over 70% in 1985).
  • Future intent to adopt family planning among rural male non-practitioners increased from 42.1% in 1983 to 48% in 1985.
Increased Discussion of Development Issues
  • Although respondents from the main target audience were more likely to have discussed family planning with a spouse in 1985 than in 1983 (37.5% vs. 33.8%, respectively), these respondents were less likely to have discussed family planning with other relatives (8.1% vs. 17.6%) or with neighbors and friends (20.7 vs. 25.5%).
Access
  • Awareness of mass media messages rose significantly over the two-year period from 1983 to 1985, from 39.7% to 51.4%
  • Radio was the predominant source through which respondents were exposed to the messages; it is estimated that family planning messages were reaching 80% of the main target audience (rural men) by 1985, compared with a reach of about 60% in 1983
Other Impacts
Secondary Analysis ResultsSecondary analysis of survey data revealed that proven listenership to the programme materials was significantly related to awareness of mass media messages on family planning, attitude toward safety of modern contraceptives, discussion of family planning with spouse, friends and neighbors, and to active information-seeking behaviour. On the other hand, proven listenership was not significantly associated the observed differences in current use of any contraceptive method.
Source
"The Use of Mainstream Media to Encourage Social Responsibility: The International Experience" - The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - Prepared by: Jennifer Daves and Liza Nickerson - The Media Project.