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 - Hum Log

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Date
Knowledge Shifts
83% of a sample of 500 letters liked and respected the dialogue given at the end of the show, 39% said they felt it helped them make various decisions.
Practices
Of the sample of 500 letters, 92% were influenced in a pro-social direction, 7% showed behavioral change as a result of the show. For example, there was an increase in the number of people signing up to give eye donations, due to a story line where the grandmother had eye cancer.
Attitudes
53% of respondents believed in copying positive role models identified in "Hum Log", 23% believed in copying negative role models. 70% believed that women should have equal opportunities, 71% said that family size should be limited, 64% thought women's welfare programs should be encouraged. 33% of the sample of 500 letters had their social attitudes influenced by the show.
Access
In North India, ratings were in the range of 65 to 90%. In South India ratings were between 20 and 40% (non-Hindi speaking). An average of 50 million people watched each broadcast. 96% of respondents liked "Hum Log", 94% thought it was entertaining, 83% thought it was educational, and 91% said it addressed social problems.
Source
Effects of "Hum Log", A Television Soap Opera, On Women's Status and Fertility in India, by Arvind Singhal, Everett M. Rogers, and Michael D. Cozzens.