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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African Women's Leadership Institute - Africa

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The African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI) is a regional networking, information and training forum which trains African women aged 25-40 in critical thinking on gender issues, feminist theory and practice, organisational building and resource development.
Communication Strategies
The institute serves as a network of young African women between the ages of 25-40, providing personal and professional support. It offers advice and shares expertise and information. AWLI provides regional, sub-regional and national leadership training programmes. The institute convenes at an annual three-week regional residential leadership-training institute in Africa and at one -week sub-regional and one-week national meeting throughout the year.

AWLI holds national and sub regional leadership development workshops. The programme organisers believe that through the successful organisation of the workshops, they are continuing with their strategic objective of providing young women working in various organisations in Africa with opportunities for leadership development.

AWLI Activities are:
  • Organising the annual regional residential institute
  • Arranging occasional sub-regional and national leadership programmes
  • Supporting institute graduates in running training programmes in organisational skills and development of women in their own communities
  • Publishing a newsletter three times a year to link institute participants and other interested parties
  • Publishing policy briefing papers and occasional research documents on gender, development and analysis in Africa.
Development Issues
Women, Gender
Key Points
The ultimate goal of the AWLI is to encourage and train women for informed positions that will ultimately promote a progressive African women's development agenda. "The development of a feminist constituency among the next generation of African women leaders is essential to the future of the African women's movement."

AWLI objectives are to:
  • Develop the leadership potential of young African women are committed to a progressive women's movement in Africa
  • Provide leadership training for young African women are already in leadership positions in women's NGOs, mixed NGOs, government institutions or the private sector
  • Empower African women living in fundamentally patriarchal communities with self-development and life skills training
  • § Initiate a forum in which young women can meet and build alliances for individual and professional support
  • Develop a mentoring and role modelling system in order to benefit from the knowledge, skills and expertise of older women
  • Strengthen existing national and regional networks through networking and solidarity and sustain links with the international women's movement
  • Improve the quality of gender analysis and research coming out of Africa, and give African women more access to international publishing
Partners
Akina Mama wa Africa(AMwA)
Sources

Akina Mama wa Africa website on July 21 2004.