Development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Training Workshop for Physicians, Nurses, and Midwives - Latin America/Caribbean Region

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USAID's Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) Program organised a Regional Experts Advanced Training Skills and Change Leadership workshop from October 28 to November 4, 2002 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Sixteen doctors, nurses, and nurse-midwives from 8 countries (Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay) attended the workshop, which was designed to support clinicians by updating their evidence-based maternal and newborn knowledge and skills, enhancing their training skills, and equipping them to be advocates for change.
Communication Strategies

This workshop focused on group process skills, problem solving, and clinical decision-making skills, as well as on the skills needed to train new trainers. Other topics included change leadership (to prepare the participants for their role as change agents), transfer of learning, performance improvement, and preservice education.

At the beginning of the workshop, participants shared their experiences with conducting training in their own or other countries. They also presented their efforts to implement their action plans aimed at improving MNH clinical practices at their worksites.

Development Issues

Women, Children, Health.

Key Points

The MNH Program was designed help ensure that women and newborns survive pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. As part of an effort to develop a sustainable approach to meeting regional needs for skilled providers, the MNH Program started the Regional Expert Development Initiative (REDI) in 2001. REDI establishes core groups of maternal and neonatal healthcare experts and trainers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The workshop described here is part of this REDI initiative.

The Program "develops" experts - like those who attended the workshop - by updating their evidence-based maternal and newborn healthcare practices, standardising their clinical skills, and enhancing their training skills. Addressing leadership skills is central to this expert development process. As part of their participation in the initiative, experts commit to an action plan to change selected maternal and newborn healthcare practices at their respective institutions.

A directory of the 16 professionals who attended the workshop, including contact information, is available (see contact information below).

Partners

The MNH Program is a complementary partnership supported by JHPIEGO Corporation, The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP), and Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).

Sources

MNH Program Updates, November 2002, Number 34.