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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Puppet Power Team - Namibia

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Initiated in 1999, The Puppet Power Team is a project of the Namibia Red Cross that aims to spread HIV/AIDS awareness through puppetry. The project uses puppets to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS in an informal and often humorous way. The themes of the shows revolve around how HIV/AIDS is contracted, how it can be prevented, and how certain behavioral patterns can increase the chances of getting infected.
Communication Strategies

This project is carried out by a 6-member group known as the Puppet Power Team. The team, which is based in Namibia's capital Windhoek, often travels more than 700 km away from their base to put on their show. Having performed in schools, mines, companies, and villages throughout the country, organisers claim that the team has become almost a household name in most parts of Namibia.


The show often triggers discussions about sex and HIV/AIDS. During the act there is an interaction between the audience and the Puppet Power Team. Organisers say that this interaction is then carried on by the audience and their families - in both urban and rural communities - when they go home. The team works to break the barriers of illiteracy and language when delivering their message to the audience; each member of the team can speak up to 4 languages.


The Namibia Red Cross has also trained drama groups to disseminate the HIV/AIDS messages in areas of the country where the puppet shows are not culturally accepted. (In some incidents, some audience members fled the performance venue, believing that the puppetry was an act of witchcraft.) In an effort to intensify the dissemination activities, the Puppet Power Team has trained drama groups in 2 districts.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

Editor's note: The work done by the Puppet Power team ceased in 2003 due to an inability to secure funds for continued implementation.

Partners

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Namibia Red Cross.

Sources

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies website; and email from Essack-Kauaria Razia to The Communication Initiative on August 24 2006.