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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Reach Out, Show Compassion

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The second phase of the Stop AIDS, Love Life national communication programme has been launched in Ghana. The purpose of Reach Out, Show Compassion is to cultivate attitudes of compassion, hope, and support among Christian and Muslim leaders toward Ghanians living with HIV/AIDS, and to encourage the adoption of behaviours that will help diminish the spread of the disease. The hope is that greeting those who have been diagnosed with the disease with an attitude of acceptance will constitute a form of emotional and spiritual support that is conducive to the sharing rather than the hiding of HIV status.
Communication Strategies

Muslim and Christian leaders will participate in the effort to increase the number of religious organisations and congregations and humanitarian groups engaged in HIV/AIDS issues; the Christian Council of Ghana will coordinate these groups.

For example, training programmes for 900 clergy, Imams, and other religious leaders will be held throughout Ghana. Television and radio spots will quote directly from the Bible or Koran where compassionate behaviour is demonstrated.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

During a launch of this phase of the programme in November, 2002, 23 Muslim leaders and 25 Christian leaders committed to work together with the government and other stakeholders in confronting the problems Ghana faces because of HIV/AIDS. In Ghana, approximately half a million people are HIV-positive.

Stop AIDS, Love Life is a joint effort of the Ghana Ministries of Information and Health, the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (CCP), with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The programme was implemented in Febuary, 2000.

Partners

CCP, the Christian Council of Ghana; Ghana Ministries of Information and Health, and the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation. Funder: USAID.

Sources

Press release dated November 6 2002.