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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Improving Access to Health Information - Zambia

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This is a project aimed to improve the access to information (services) among local health workers in Zambia translating identified needs into policy on different authority levels.
Communication Strategies
In the context of an initiative by the University of Zambia (UNZA) Medical Library and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Department of Information Services (IS), a situation analysis and needs assessment took place in nine rural districts of Western and North-western Provinces.

The outcomes show that overall, regular access to up-to-date health-related information is very limited at all levels. In spite of the limitations found, excellent examples of local initiatives show that even under the given circumstances it is feasible to improve health workers' access to information.

Specific suggestions are made to reach consensus among all stakeholders on how to translate the results of this study into concrete policies, strategies and activities that will improve access to information at all levels of the health-care system, both governmental and non-governmental.

Services provided were e-mail discussion list, needs assessments, evaluation and assistance strategic planning.
Development Issues
Health
Partners

University of Zambia (UNZA) & UNZA Medical Library, Zambia, Central Board of Health (CBOH), Zambia, Provincial Health Offices (PHOs), Zambia, District Health Offices (DHO's), Zambia and Districts- en algemene ziekenhuizen en Urban en Rural Health Centres (RHC's), Zambia.

Sources

Recent KIT Projects Worldwide website on August 19 2003