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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Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Services - Youth Pregnancies Down More than 50%

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Strategy researched

Study participants were randomised into 3 arms: The first arm continued standard instruction of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) (control). In the second arm, (CSE + Health Outreach), information on available sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services was provided in schools though health fairs run by health workers to complement CSE. In the third arm (CSE + Responsive Adolescent SRH Services), learners receiving CSE were encouraged or supported to access SRH services where health providers had been trained to be more receptive to adolescents’ SRH health needs. Teachers were also encouraged to introduce students to health services.

Impact achieved

Following three years of intervention exposure, findings showed a significant decline of in-school pregnancies amongst AGYW in both intervention arms, with arm two exhibiting a more significant decline, having recorded only 0.74% pregnancies at endline (p < 0.001), as well as arm 3, which recorded 1.34% pregnancies (p < 0.001). No significant decline was recorded in the CSE-only (control arm).  The decline was more than 50% in intervention arms, as compared with the control arm, and significantly lower, as a proportion of AGYW in arm 2, followed by arm 3.

Country of study

Zambia

Research methodology

3-arm RCT

Journal

BMC Public Health; 2023

Journal paper title and link

Comprehensive sexuality education linked to sexual and reproductive health services reduces early and unintended pregnancies among in-school adolescent girls in Zambia

Excerpt from Abstract

"Linking provision of CSE with accessible SRH services that are receptive to needs of adolescents and young people reduces EUP [early and unintended pregnancies], which provides the opportunity for higher retention in school for adolescent girls."