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.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Strengthening Media Agency for Child Protection

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Launched in 2012, the 20-month Strengthening Media Agency for Child Protection project supports children, civil society organisations, and the media to illuminate and address child protection concerns in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda. This includes equipping partner civil society organisations with skills on how to build and maintain direct long term partnership with the media, raise awareness of media child protection issues, and promote child journalism. The project is led by Panos East Africa, with support from the Oak Foundation, and follows the first three year phase of the project which ended in July 2011.
Communication Strategies

Despite the regional outlook, the project is working to respond to national level child protection concerns like: addressing issues of institutionalisation of child care in Kenya, the eradication of violence against children in Tanzania, addressing challenges faced by children on the move (migration and trafficking) in Ethiopia, and contributing to the establishment of a clear role for the media in child protection work in Uganda. PEA has built partnerships with child protection agencies, the media, government institutions, children and other interested actors to enhance child protection issues, create platforms for public dialogue to influence policy decisions, promote child participation and media action, and put child protection issues on the national agenda.

One of the key activities in implementing this project is awarding content grants to journalists to produce in-depth investigative features on child care institutions in Kenya. The grant is designed to provide an opportunity for journalists to report on child care institutions to enhance public awareness about child care institutions with the view to stimulating public discourse on the issue. The best grantees stories will be published on the Panos website and used for further engagement.

Development Issues

Children

Partners

Panos East Africa, Oak Foundation, Care Leavers Association, Pathfinder, Action Aid, Camfed-Tanzania, the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN-Uganda Chapter) and the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO Uganda), National Child Protection Working Group (NCPWG).

Sources

Panos East Africa website and Panos East Africa fellowship announcement on September 5 2013.