Development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Networking, Communication and Capacity Building (NECCAB)

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The Networking, Communication and Capacity Building (NECCAB) programme hopes to establish community controlled information and communication structures in the rural areas of East Africa and assist non-governmental (NGO) and community based organisations (CBOs) in the region to establish and develop participatory media structures. The aim of the project is to build a strong and active constituency of NGOs and CBOs to influence decision-making processes at the local, national, and international levels, with respect to trade, environment, and information.

 

EcoNews Africa (ENA) provides coordination and backstopping to the community-based partners - Mang'elete Community Integrated Development Programme (MCIDP) in Kenya, Uganda Rural and Development Training (URDT), in Uganda, and Institute for Orkornerei Pastoralists Advancement (IOPA) in Tanzania.

Communication Strategies

The NECCAB programme aims to build the capacity of communities, through NGOs and CBOs, to influence decision-making by:

 

  • lobbying for the domestication and harmonisation of international conventions/agreements at the national level;
  • analysing the impact of the international trade policies on developing countries;
  • following up on the decisions and strategies and the proceedings at the Bretton woods institutions, annual G-8 meetings, the ACP-EM Partnerships Agreements, regional protocols and treaties;
  • carrying out research on the impact of macro-economic policies on local economies;
  • advocating for appropriate decisions and actions to negotiate the impacts of the global micro-economic policies;
  • networking with other like minded civil society organisations (CSOs) in the south in order to undertake common decisions and actions in mitigation of the macro-economic policies;
  • developing capacity of CSOs, NGOs and CBOs in the realisation of macro-economic policy analysis and their impact on mitigation; and
  • consulting with like-minded organisations in the south and north on common decisions and action on mitigation of the negative impact of international trade.
     

Each of the three CBOs within this project owns a community radio station, which further helps to enhance the information dissemination and lobbying capacity of the programme.

 

  • Mang'elete Community Radio, Nthongoni, Makueni District Kenya.
  • Kagadi Kibaale Community Radio, Kibaale, Uganda.
  • Orkornerei Radio Services, Terrat, Tanzania.
     
Development Issues

Economic Development, Environment.

Key Points

EcoNews Africa (ENA) is an indigenous organisation which was established by NGO workers from Kenya as a facility to meet the information requirements of NGOs in East Africa in order to enhance their involvement in particular in international decision-making processes that impinge on sustainable development in East Africa. ENA's activities are undertaken in collaboration with established service-delivery and advocacy NGOs and CBOs.  The three community organisations involved in the project bring together members of rural communities.

 

  • MCIDP brings together 33 women rural groups whose aim is to improve reproductive health, agricultural productivity, and information sharing among the rural economically poor.
  • IOPA brings together pastoral Masaai communities from the five districts of Same, Mwanga, Lushoto, Simanjiro, and Korogwe.
  • URDT endeavours to improve the livelihoods of the peasant households in the sub-counties in Kibaale District.

 

Each of these projects is located in a remote and marginal area with the economically poor forming the majority of the beneficiaries.

Partners

EcoNews Africa (ENA), Mang'elete Community Integrated Development Programme (MCIDP) in Kenya, Uganda Rural and Development Training (URDT), in Uganda, Institute for Orkornerei Pastoralists Advancement (IOPA) in Tanzania.