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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Tanzania Nutrition - Tanzania

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A communication and mobilisation project was launched in Tanzania's Iringa Region to reduce infant and youth malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality. The strategy utilized indigenous resources to solve problems, with a basis in situation analyses being held in extensive village and town meetings. Local people were involved in integrating traditional and non-traditional communication to eradicate malnutrition.
Communication Strategies

Problem solving strategies were stressed at the village, district and regional levels. Education both horizontally and vertically was used (I.e. from village residents to politicians or to other villagers). Print material, newsletters, youth groups and films. A village health day once a month monitored growth, follow-ups and education of higher administration on actions occurred.
Development Issues

Child Health, nutrition, indigenous methods of communication, general health concerns
Key Points

The countries resources include strong support for improving human welfare, a long history of involvement of local research institutions and nutritional health and surplus food in some areas where malnutrition was common. Widespread operation at the grassroots level resulted in great success of the project.
Partners



Government of Tanzania, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF

Sources

Toward a Symmetrical and an Integrated Framework of Norms for Nutrition Communication in Sub-Saharan Africa. C. B Pratt, I. Silva Barbeau, & C. A. Pratt. Journal of Health Communication. Abstracts, Volume 2, Number 1 January - March 1997