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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Tambuli Community Radio Project - Philippines

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A programme developed in the Philippines by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and UNESCO to empower Filipinos through information so that they would be motivated to take better advantage of existing development opportunities, as well as identifying and pursuing their own development opportunities through media-supported discussion and debate.
Communication Strategies

By mid-1996, eight centers of media operations - all were community radio stations and some produced community newspapers. Training and workshops in technical aspects of broadcasting and reporting. "Livelihood Assistance" programme - loans and grants provided by the media centers for local development. Radio stations in most sites also function in the place of telephone systems (ie: messages can be broadcast advising that a relative in another village is ill, or to call someone to a meeting or celebration.)
Development Issues

Economic development, political development
Key Points

Tambuli Project was based on a situation analysis which pinpointed that even when development requirements were available, villagers in the poorest sectors were not always prepared to take advantage of them. Radio stations and newspapers were seen not as the ends, but the means towards stabilizing communities and motivating them to organise socially. Participatory approach in all planning, including research in the community. Community members gained/gain a sense of ownership and commitment.
Partners



DANIDA, UNESCO, communities in the Philippines.

Sources

Fraser, Colin & Sonia Restrepo-Estrada, Communicating for Development: Human Change for Survival, London, I.B. Tauris (1998) Click here for more details on this publication.