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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Telemedicine Hospital Project - Uganda

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The World Bank (through its WorldLinks for development programme) and SchoolNet Uganda are launching a programme to implement telemedicine services in Moroto, Matany, and Mulago hospitals in 2002. The services will be hosted by Moroto High School, where the SchoolNet Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) station is located. The goal of the programme is to increase the capacity of the VSAT units provided to SchoolNet Uganda (by the Bill and Melinda Foundation and World Links), to the end of improving the health service delivery system of the Moroto District.
Communication Strategies

The project will be piloted for 16 months, which will include a pre-implementation stage (3 months), implementation stage (12 months), and evaluation period (1 month). Three doctors will oversee the programme at three hospital stations. The doctors will be responsible for channeling the communicated information to the appropriate specialist. This specialist will then make recommendations, which he or she will communicate back to the inquiry source. The project will run both online and off-line consultations.

Development Issues

Health, Technology.

Key Points

Moroto District is the most undeveloped and remote district of Uganda. With war raging there for over 16 years and a poor social service infrastructure, the district has difficulty attracting physicians. In fact, the district's two biggest hospitals (Moroto and Matany) have four or fewer permanent doctors and four visiting or short-term NGO doctors. However, the two hospitals have an average of 386 patients daily. This situation creates a very high patient-to-doctor ratio.

Partners

District of Moroto (Moroto High School and District leaders), World Links, Energy for Rural Transformation Projects (funded by World Bank's Knowledge Economy Program), SchoolNet Uganda.

Sources

Letter sent from Ndaula Sulah to The Communication Initiative on August 27, 2002.

Comments

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

This is a very useful website. I grew up in Moroto in the 1970s and I know for sure how destitute the people could be living. I remember at that time period, it was during the late Idi Amin's regime the Karamojong people were helped by a project called KDA (Karamoja District Administration). Through the KDA I believe there were some community outreach, which assisted the population with things like Education, Food and other humanitarian assistance. However, I do believe that during the hard times of the 16-18 years of war, there could be an appalling human tragedy.
Thanks
Vukon@yahoo.ca