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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Africa Education Watch

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Africa Education Watch (AEW) is a three-year programme (June 2007 to December 2010) supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation through Transparency International Secretariat (TIS). The overall goal of AEW is to improve transparency and accountability in the use of primary education resources in seven African countries - Morocco, Senegal, Niger, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Uganda - by assessing waste, leakages, and corruption in the education sector and strengthening demand for policy reforms and improved service delivery.
Communication Strategies

The programme was designed in two phases. The first phase involved conducting research among users and providers of primary education services. According to the organisers, the surveys were designed to approximate the levels of resource leakages and delays in transfers, the extent of illegal fees and other costs parents incur, and the effectiveness of the decentralised accountability structures. The data collected from this research are available on the Transparency International website in the form of fact sheets. The results of the research are also available in a report, published in 2010, titled Africa Education Watch - Good Governance Lessons for Primary Education [PDF].

As part of the second phase (the campaign phase), there have been extensive efforts made - both in surveyed countries and at global level - to ensure the effective dissemination of the results of the surveys and the effective mobilisation against corruption in primary education. The project is currently focusing on conducting advocacy at the national level to address a range of issues mentioned in the national assessment reports. The campaign seeks to bring other actors on board to undertake a broad advocacy campaign in coalition with other stakeholders.

In Uganda, specific activities have included: a launch of the AEW national assessment report; dissemination meetings and workshops in a number of cities; a media campaign; production of advocacy materials; drafting of an advocacy strategy; and an action planning meeting with civil society organisations in one district.

Development Issues

Democracy and Governance, Education

Partners

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Transparency International.

Sources

Transparency International Uganda website and Transparency International website on October 7 2010.