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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NSEWA Learning Network Project

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The NSEWA Project (which is a contraction of North-South-East-West Africa) is working to close the gap between health services and road safety through specially designed driver safety training and health-related programmes directed at the Road Freight Industry. Led by North Star Alliance and Fleet Forum, the NSEWA training and certificate programme will help truck drivers take control of their own health and safety with free access to health care, as well as acquire better road safety knowledge and skills through an entertaining, self-paced programme. Since May 2013, it is being piloted in South Africa with local and regional transport companies and there are plans to roll out the project internationally. The project s funded by the UPS Foundation and the Road Safety Fund, in conjunction with the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Communication Strategies

The NSEWA training package, called HOT-R (Health on the Road), includes modules on malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, as well as nutrition, diabetes and other occupational health issues. The Driver Safety modules cover general road safety information, defensive driving, transporting dangerous goods and eco-driving. Learning modules use face-to-face methods, storyboards, audio CD-ROMS, and touch screen technology to train and assess learners at Roadside Wellness Centres and transport workplaces like depots and warehouses.

Truck drivers will be able to learn on the job through a professional, locally-recognised training programme that is self-paced and offers individual certificates upon completion of each learning module. As part of the package, drivers will have access, through North Star Alliance Roadside Wellness Centres, to occupational health and safety products and services designed to meet their needs. The NSEWA modular training package is meant to be a refresher and reinforcement for drivers who have already had some training but lack specific knowledge and skills needed to stay healthy and safe while on the road.

Development Issues

Health, Mobile Populations

Key Points

By coming together under NSEWA, North Star Alliance, a leader in health care delivery for mobile populations, and Fleet Forum, a leader in delivering standards-based solutions for the humanitarian and commercial transport sector, intend to accelerate targeted health and safety for the transport industry.

Partners

UPS Foundation, the Road Safety Fund and the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Sources

Northstar-alliance website on November 21 2013.