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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Praxis Institute for Participatory Practices - India

1 comment
Praxis, a locally-based non-profit NGO, seeks to effect change in communities throughout India by focusing on democracy at a grassroots level. Established by ActionAid in 1997, the programme seeks to empower communities by conducting both research and training that involves asking community members to identify and address their own problems. The purpose of Praxis is to communicate principles of democracy and to promote social equity and participation.
Communication Strategies
Praxis works to:
  • conduct its own research as well as projects on behalf of organisations inculding UNICEF, UNDP, Oxfam, CARE India, Catholic Relief Services and World Vision of India. Examples of past projects include: Participatory Assessment of Community Contracting (Cuttak Municipal Corporation slums), Participatory Study of Tribal Livelihood Systems (Bilaspur district of Madhya Pradesh), Participatory Poverty Profile Study (Bolangir), and Participatory Gender Impact Assessment Study.
  • organise networks and workshops on the promotion of participatory practices in the development sector. It also maintains an online mailing list.
  • disseminate information, including books, reports, topic packs, videos, and CDs, on the theme of participation.
  • conduct training workshops in participatory research methods for community based organisations (CBOs), NGOs and several international organisations.
  • operate WeDIO (We Do It Ourselves), a participatory video unit. In addition to housing digital production devices for use in training workshops, WeDIO provides opportunities to communities and development workers to produce their own videos.
Development Issues
Political Development, Rights.
Key Points
Past approaches to research on problems related to equal participation in India's democracy have involved methods like standardised questionnaires or short-term field visits. Praxis instead works to engage entire communities: researchers/trainers try to learn both from and with their subjects. For instance, Praxis focuses on the research process rather than the findings. That is, it adapts the cross-reference material that informs the study methodology to the particular needs of research participants. A second commitment involves utilising conflicts and disparities as tools to inform research design.

Praxis now works independently of ActionAid, though the latter still offers occasional support. Its offices are located in Delhi and Patna, India.
Partners

ActionAid.

Sources

Letters sent from Carolyn Diane Williams to The Communication Initiative on May 30 and May 31, 2002; Praxis site.

Comments

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/30/1999 - 00:00 Permalink

We would like to change the details provided in this page. The contact email address has changed. Could you please change it to info@praxisindia.org

Thank you

Praxis