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 13 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Polio Chowk in Moradabad: Civil Society Contribution for Polio Eradication

0 comments
Date
Summary

This photo essay from the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) illustrates the installation of a statue depicting a mother and child. Unveiled on February 23 2013, the day prior to the National Immunisation Day (NID), the monument, "Polio Chowk", is located in the middle of the crossroads in the city of Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh (UP), India). The word "Chowk" means "square" in the local language (a place where 4 roads meet) and, on such a "Chowk", the monument stands tall above the bustling traffic of Moradabad City. The purpose of the "Polio Chowk" is to remind the community about continuing participation in the polio eradication programme until India is declared polio-free (it was taken off the list of endemic countries in 2012). Moradabad district was the hub of polio virus circulation, and the polio eradication programme encountered huge communication challenges.

The monument is comprised of a large mother/child sculpture surrounded by the slogan "2 drops of life" sitting on a base with 4 panels describing the history of the polio effort in India, an acknowledgement of partners, and other key messages. The monument sits upon a dedicated piece of land in a busy intersection, provided for this purpose by the local government, "reminding all who pass by of the battles won and the battles still to come in order to eradicate polio finally, officially and completely from Moradabad and the world. As dozens of media cameras clicked and whirred, the District Magistrate cut the ribbon and expressed pride, joy and renewed commitment, made particularly memorable by the fact that several international delegations were witness to this unprecedented and emotional event. CGPP teams from Angola, South Sudan and Ethiopia, along with senior officials from the US [United States], all participated in the event, and all felt a strong sense of being part of history in the making. The local government’s intense sense of ownership was clearly evident."

Click here for the 24-slide presentation in PDF format.

Source

Emails from Rina Dey to The Communication Initiative on March 22 2013 and March 26 2013; and "Polio 'Chowk' at Moradabad" [PDF], PCI India, accessed March 26 2013.