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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World Links - Global

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Established in 1997, World Links, a collaborative partnership between the World Bank Insitute's World Links for Development (WorLD) Program and the World Links Organization, uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to foster HIV/AIDS education. World Links works with teachers, students, policymakers, school leaders, community learning centres, and youth initiatives to explore issues of HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Activities include the Internet, e-mail, and CD-ROMs. The aim of the project is train teachers and kids in developing countries in an effort to improve education and employment opportunities.

This international programme, which currently operates in 27 developing countries around the world, works with Ministries of Education and secondary schools.
Communication Strategies
The World Links programme focuses on professional development workshops for students and teachers on how computers and the Internet can be used as resources across the curriculum. As part of an ongoing series of workshops, schools participate in a number of online collaborative projects on topics including border disputes, solid waste management, bullying, traditional medicine, and HIV/AIDS. World Links combines these components:
  • Connectivity solutions - for schools in developing countries, including land-line and wireless solutions (spread spectrum radio and microwave, VSATs, and multimedia data-casting).
  • Training and professional development - for teachers, students, community leaders, and educational policymakers in the use of new ICTs to improve teaching, learning, and global communication.
  • Monitoring and evaluation tools - designed to measure impact in the classroom and to provide diagnostic feedback.
World Links has also developed a high-level course to provide interested educational policymakers with information about the integration of ICT for educational purposes.

Youth initiatives include:
  • MDF - Visions for the Future: "We Are in Charge" - youth contribution to the Mediterranean Development Forum
  • The World Links HIV/AIDS Online Collaborative Project - an ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and care effort involving secondary school participants in Africa and the United States
  • Glocalization - an effort to initiate a 'Glocal' Youth Parliament as a vehicle for youth empowerment
  • Youth IT - initiatives underway in Africa in partnership with a variety of organisations to promote oportunities for youth through the use of IT.
Development Issues
Education, Children, Youth, Technology, Economic Development, HIV/AIDS, Environment.
Key Points
By tapping into their network of secondary schools (over 950 schools in 26 developing countries equipped with ten networked computers and connected to the Internet via dial-up, lease line or wireless connection), World Links has trained nearly 200,000 teachers and students in the use of ICT for teaching and learning. It has established over 700 school-based Internet Learning Centers. It has also fostered school-community partnerships.
Partners

World Bank Insitute's World Links for Development (WorLD) Program and the World Linkds Organization.

Sources

Wayne Farmer and World Links site; letter sent from Anthony Bloome to The Communication Initiative on June 18, 2002.