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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Shabuj Chhaya Soap Opera

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This 30 minute weekly television drama deals with a different health-related subject each episode. It is being telecast through the national transmission system/channel run and owned by the government.
Communication Strategies

The series is set in a village called Shukhanpukur, focusing on the people who work in and visit the health facilities of the village. Issues dealt with in the series include: Compulsory Immunisation for Children, Vitamin A, Diarrhoea, Family Planning for newly weds, Problems of adolescents, and HIV/AIDS. At the end of each episode, three questions are asked. Viewers send their answers to the soap opera address. Correct answers are included in a lottery drawing for the winners who receive prizes (Pick #1 is a monetary prize, next 20 picks receive an attractive calendar.)

Development Issues

Health and nutrition, HIV/AIDS, family planning, children, youth.

Key Points

Within 7 days of the first episode, approximately 78,000 letters arrived at the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs, after the second episode, another approximately 60,000 letters arrived. By the end of the 13 episodes over 600,000 letters from enthusiastic viewers were received.

Partners

Developed and produced with technical assistance from the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs. The drama was produced by Asiatic Social under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Because of the serial's popularity many organisations are expressing interest in sponsoring it to further televise through satellite channel/s.

Sources

Email from Phyllis Piatrow , PhD, Professor and Director, Johns Hopkinks University Center for Communication Programs and from the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs.