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

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 23 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Africa Employee HIV/AIDS Programmes - Africa

0 comments
In June 2001, the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) established a programme that is designed to reduce the harmful impact of HIV/AIDS in the lives of its 60,000 employees (and 40 independent African-based bottlers). In addition to offering anti-retroviral drugs to employees, spouses, and children, Coca-Cola partners with UNAIDS to offer various workplace programmes and to cultivate local partnerships and community involvement in its efforts to address the disease. Project goals include encouraging behavioural change through the provision of information (using television, radio, printed materials, lectures, and the like) and supporting sustainable community outreach activities.
Communication Strategies
A hallmark of the TCCAF programme is cultivation of contacts at the local level. In each of the nine countries so far reached by the project (Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Kingdom of Swaziland, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), local AIDS committees made up volunteers from Coca-Cola offices have been central in the launching of local workplace programmes. Local nonprofit and community-based organisations are full partners in educating the public about the risks associated with HIV/AIDS. In addition, international oganisations such as UNICEF, UNAIDS, and Population Services International (PSI) partner with Coca-Cola to, for example, deliver printed HIV/AIDS educational materials and free condoms to employees working in hard-to-reach areas.

Communicating risks associated with, and means of preventing, HIV/AIDS to employees and the public in general is a central strategy in initiatives such as HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns. Detailed information about Coca-Cola's country-specific endeavours is available on the Coca-Cola site. To cite a few examples, the Maisha campaign ("Wewe ndiye uhai wao", or "You Are Their Life") supports the National AIDS Control Council in its efforts to reach young Kenyans through radio, newspaper, posters, TV commercials, and outdoor advertising. And in Morocco, Coca-Cola is working with the Ministry of Health to provide training for 100 peer educators in the workplace.
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS.
Key Points
100% of Coca-Cola's 40 independent bottling companies in 54 countries on the continent are enrolled in the programme. All their employees, spouses and children will be eligible to receive benefits, including access to anti-retroviral drugs, testing, counseling, prevention, and treatment.

The programme is based upon guidelines and standards developed by UNAIDS, International Labour Organization (ILO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).
Partners

TCCAF, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, PharmAccess International, Les Brassetries du Cameroun, Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), PSI, Hope Worldwide, Ministries of Health in Egypt and Moracco, Save the Children USA, UNAIDS, Ghana AIDS Commission, German Technical Corporation (GTZ), Sengalese Ministry of Employment, ILO, Association Tunisienne de Lutte contre le MST/SIDA, The Family Health Trust, and Clear Channel Independent.

Sources

Letter sent from Robert Lindsay, President of the Board of Trustees (The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation) to the Nigeria-AIDS eForum (click here to access the archives) on April 1 2003; and Coca-Cola site.