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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Behind the Siege – Nigeria

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Behind the Siege is a 39-episodes television serial drama about HIV/AIDS on NTA 2 Channel 5. It is part of the behaviour change communication strategy of Impact project in Nigeria. The series is produced by Tade Ogidan of OGD Productions with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and technical support from Family Health International (FHI).
Communication Strategies
Behind the Siege highlights the moral and social problems posed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria. The serial provides information about HIV/AIDS and emphasises behaviour that puts people at risk of infection, the risks of unprotected sex and the need for mutual fidelity in marriage.

"It highlights these issues taking into consideration the socio-cultural and religious inclinations of the Nigerian public and encourages viewers to seek further information about voluntary counselling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child-transmission, safe blood transfusion, the relationship between tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), sexual violence and workplace intervention."
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS
Partners

USAID, FHI

Sources

Nigeria-AIDS eForum on June 7, 2004.