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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Healthy Highways Project - India

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This campaign for STD/HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention aimed at truck drivers, a group especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, makes effective use of credible and identifiable role models in overlapping multi-media channels.
Communication Strategies

Interpersonal, stand-alone and take away media materials have been created for truckers, their assistants, their sexual partners and families, employers and sex workers. These include: flip charts, mobile photo exhibitions, posters, condom fliers, audio tapes, booklets, etc. Story-based communication has been used in all appropriate media. The role model (Ustaad) has been created to address messages to all truck drivers. He is like-able, macho and funny and speaks to the target group as a friend/elder brother, giving them tips and advising them on behaviour through his example. His loyal helper (Vijay) is young and mischievous and looks up to Ustaad for guidance. Through the travels and experiences of these two, we come to understand the important issues of HIV/AIDS and STD prevention.
Development Issues

HIV/AIDS.
Key Points

All materials have been pre-tested among the target groups and relevant changes have been incorporated in the materials. Materials will be ready to launch by end May 1999. Outreach workers will be trained in communication skills and ways to use the materials.
Partners



National AIDS Control Organisation, Government of India, and the British Commission Health and Population Office, Department of International Development (DFID). SOMAC: Lintas has developed the communication strategy and entire range of behaviour change materials for the project, which is being implemented by over 35 NGOs across the country working directly with the target groups.

Sources

Case description from Nirupama Sarma to The Communication Initiative.