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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Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) for Out-of-School Children and Orphans - Zambia

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Launched in 2000 by the USA-based Education Development Center (EDC) and partners, Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) provides alternative, interactive, basic education in radio technology for out-of-school children and orphans. It has also developed the communications infrastructure and technical capacity to implement such a programme. The project's goal is to support the continuation and completion of IRI programmes up to and including Grade 7, and to assist the Zambian Ministry of Education's Educational Broadcast Services (EBS) division in monitoring, evaluating, and improving the reach, quality, and human resources capacity of the IRI project.
Communication Strategies
The project focusses on the following activities:
  • Design of IRI programmes, including:
    1. Development of 200 programmes for Grades 5 and 6 that include life skills and HIV/AIDS segments, improvement in production quality and creativity, timing of scripts, and evaluative processes;
    2. Development of scope, sequence, and master plans for Grade 7, including life skills segments;
  • Revision and improvement of programmes for Grades 1-4;
  • Implementation of 7 one-week workshops for IRI writers with a focus on writing for IRI, addressing life skills and HIV/AIDS, providing distance training to mentors, and developing cost-effective print materials;
  • Training of technicians to operate and maintain digital recording equipment, and to edit and enhance sound digitally to improve overall production quality;
  • Training of producers to supervise and direct studio productions;
  • Assessment of programme impacts consistently based on selected indicators including those of quality and learning performance;
  • Training and mobilisation of the Ministry of Education, the private sector, and NGO personnel at district levels with improved mentor training, supervision, and community networking/mobilisation skills;
  • Increased community radio station support for education and children's health at the community level, including promotion of Taonga Market;
  • Improved qualifications of mentors through in-service training, increased opportunities for teacher certification, collaboration and planning with other stakeholder directorates, and capitalisation on distance learning alternatives;
  • Development of policy and planning documents to enable mentors to train and become certified teachers; and
  • Provision of logistical support to Peace Corps Volunteers to support Taonga Learning Centers.
Development Issues
Children, Education, Technology, HIV/AIDS.
Partners

Education Development Center, Zambia Ministry of Education, Peace Corps, EBS.

Sources

dot-Edu site.