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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Month of Prayer for Child Survival

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In the month of October 2005, the Rx for Child Survival campaign collaborated with religious groups of all faiths and denominations to observe a global Month of Prayer for Child Survival. The USA-based Global Health Council, a "national mobilization partner" in the Rx for Child Survival campaign, was the primary organiser of this event, which drew on community-based interpersonal interaction and advocacy to raise awareness and to spur action.
Communication Strategies
During this month-long initiative, the Global Health Council encouraged people of all faiths to take part in various spiritual activities, which culminated in a "Rolling Week of Prayer for Child Survival". Strategies included:
  • Engaging in private, personal reflection, by saying a prayer for children
  • Developing more public ways of focusing attention on child survival through organised religious activity, such as by holding a prayer breakfast; preaching a sermon; or including information about child survival in a church bulletin
  • Seeking expert involvement/insight, by inviting a child survival expert to speak in a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship
  • Involving the broader community, by organising town hall meetings
  • Engaging in advocacy, by writing letters to congressional representatives
  • Donating money to agencies that work on child survival
  • Educating oneself about the issues, and engaging in discussion with others, by watching the 6-hour primetime PBS television series Rx for Survival - A Global Health Challenge, which aired November 1-3 2005 (and which can still be viewed online).
To facilitate participation in this initiative, the Global Health Council provided a number of sermons, websites with prayers and reflections on children, and other resources on a dedicated page on its own website; click here to access this information. A number of different faiths are represented here, such as Bahá'í prayers for children and youth.
Development Issues
Children, Health.
Key Points
The Rx for Child Survival campaign urges religious groups to:
  • Support low-cost and highly effective health interventions that prevent and treat the health challenges that disproportionately affect children under five in developing countries
  • Create awareness among Americans about children in developing countries and the role Americans can play to have a positive impact on child survival and health
  • Tell elected leaders about the importance of programmes designed to help children thrive and survive.
Sources

Global Health Weekly Update - October 3 2005; Global Health Council website; and email from Tiffany M. Foster to The Communication Initiative on April 26 2006.