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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Radio Communication Project

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A national Family Planning radio project intended to educate and increase contraceptive use with programme content & indirect exposure through subsequent interpersonal communication.
Communication Strategies

The Radio Communication Project (RCP) consisted of 4 mass media components, including: Two "enter-educate-based" radio dramas; one intended for the general public & one for health providers while two short radio spots promoted the drama & its key themes. The RCP was supplemented by print materials (e.g. flipcharts, posters, & pamphlets) distributed through health posts. All campaign components were broadcast or printed in Nepali.

Development Issues

Health, Women, Family Planning.

Key Points

The 2 radio dramas were felt to be the cornerstone of the project. Cut Your Coat According to Your Cloth was the general public drama which was broadcast nationally each week of December, 1995. The programme aimed to "improve public perceptions of health workers, promote spousal communication regarding fertility & reposition contraception away from its historically narrow association with sterilization & toward the broader notion of the 'Well-Planned Family'". The series modelled men & women actively engaged in health discussions, in hopes that the drama would encourage similar interpersonal communication of health issues among its listeners. The RCP was felt to have a positive effect as it initiated meaningful conversation among Nepalese women on the topic of contraception, carrying the programme message that much further. Service Brings Reward was designed chiefly for health providers as a distance education programme.

Partners

Funded by the United States for International Development (USAID) and developed by the Ministry of Health and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHUCCP)

Sources

Interactions Between Mass-mediated and Interpersonal Communication and Their Effect on Contraceptive Use in Rurual Nepal: A report by Marc Boulay, JHUCCP; provided direct to The Communication Initiative.