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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AIDS Documentation and Information Centre - Honduras

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Conducted by the Honduran NGO Fundación Fomento en Salud (Health Care Promoting Foundation), this project is focused on sexual and reproductive health care; HIV/AIDS/STD; maternal-child care; health in schools; adolescent health care; occupational health, water, and sanitary facilities; International Economic Commission (IEC) changes in behaviour; political dialogue for health care reform; and social mobilisation. The project consists in the development of a national centre to create awareness about preventing HIV/AIDS/STD.
Communication Strategies
The purpose of this centre is to:
  • offer more and better access to HIV/AIDS/STD prevention information and other topics related to violence, gender, human rights, and sexuality.
  • facilitate the exchange of electronic information amongst NGOs that currently work in this area.
  • facilitate the dissemination of information prepared by national and international institutions, professionals, and researchers in a timely way.
  • maintain an updated information database published by national and international institutions, professionals, and researchers.
  • train involved NGOs in the use of services and sources from the Information Center.
  • make all the materials and information describing the "Fundación Fomento en Salud" programme available.
The programme also awards sub-grants to NGOs implementing prevention programmes aimed at high-risk groups: women who engage in promiscuous sexual activity for pay, men who have intercourse with men – both young and adult men, and others (Garifuna origin).
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS, Health, Gender, Children, and Youth.
Key Points
Programme organisers note that HIV/AIDS is well established in Honduras and is increasing rapidly. According to information received from the American Embassy, half of the HIV-infected people in Central America live in Honduras, where approximately one out of every one hundred adults is infected. However, the disease has not spread in a uniform way; in adults living in San Pedro Sula, the percentage of infection is five times higher than the national average; approximately 4% of the pregnant women are infected. A major part of the problem is concentrated in citizens aged 20 to 45.

The Fundación Fomento en Salud works closely with Comunicación y Vida and COMVIDA. The latter is a government municipality programme in San Pedro Sula, where an information kiosk has been established. This centre has been operating for several years and reports having reached over 1,117 persons cared for per week in social mobilisation activities, 43 people a day with educational materials, and over 100 persons per day through the distribution of preservatives and other materials.
Partners

Fundación Fomento en Salud, USAID, Honduras Social Security Institute, Public Health Ministry, Comunicación y Vida, and COMVIDA.