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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Psychosocial Resilience Curriculum - Improved Physical Health for Adolescent Girls

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Strategy researched

A comprehensive, scalable programme that combines evidence-based curricula that promote health [the Girls First Health Curriculum (HC)] as well as resilience/psychosocial wellbeing [the Girls First Resilience Curriculum (RC)] for marginalised girls in India

Impact achieved

Girls First (RC + HC) improves physical health outcomes versus the control, and the improvements made by Girls First girls were greater than those achieved by the individual programme components alone (RC or HC). The biggest detected effects were for RC + HC, including an increase in 5.11 units in the health knowledge scale used (0-14 scale) and a 4.62 increase in the score of the 0-32 gender equality score applied (0-32) when compared to schools without any intervention. In addition, RC + HC showed small scale but significant differences for all interventions compared to the control schools in secondary results of the study in indexes related to clean water behaviours, hand washing, menstrual hygiene, health communication, ability to get a doctor, substance use, safety, and vitality and functioning for the girls in the intervention schools.

 

Country of study

India

Research methodology

RCT

Journal

Social Science and Medicine; 2016

Journal paper title and link

A psychosocial resilience curriculum provides the "missing piece" to boost adolescent physical health: A randomized controlled trial of Girls First in India

Excerpt from Abstract

"Girls First significantly improved both primary and eight secondary outcomes (all except nutrition) versus controls. Additionally, Girls First demonstrated significantly greater effects, improving both primary and six secondary outcomes (clean water behaviors, hand washing, health communication, ability to get to a doctor, nutrition, safety) versus HC....[C]ombining these curricula amplified effects achieved by either curriculum alone. These findings suggest that psychosocial wellbeing should receive much broader attention, not only from those interested in improving psychosocial outcomes but also from those interested in improving physical health outcomes."

Summary at this link