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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Investment in Childhood (Inversión en la infancia) - Peru

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Inversión en la Infancia (Investment in Childhood) is an initiative designed to raise awareness among public and private institutions and citizens about the need to invest in children in early childhood (0-5 years of age) as a key poverty reduction strategy in Peru.

The initiative promotes prioritising investment in healthcare, education, nutrition, and parenting (family orientation), as well as qualitative factors such as time, love, dedication, presence, and constant attention.

Communication Strategies

• National Gatherings: the project has held two National Gatherings on Investment in Childhood (November 2009 and December 2010). The results of the first Gathering included the Citizen Early Childhood Pact, a document with 10 guiding principals with clear and viable objectives. The second Gathering helped to draft the Early Childhood Action Platform, a tool that will allow central government, as well as regional and local governments to prioritise investments in children in their plans, and hold civil society responsible for monitoring fulfilment of those commitments.
• Live transmissions: As part of the strategy to socialise this focus on investment in children, live transmissions have occurred since 2008 with well-known personalities. These transmissions began on the organisation’s website and then continued on Salgalú TV Online, the online TV station seen on the Peruvian internet that is dedicated solely to sharing information about children's issues and social development.
• Early Childhood Information Barometer (Infobarómetro de la Primera Infancia): Another achievement was the creation and dissemination of the Early Childhood Information Barometer which was created as a virtual tool together with the Antonio Ruíz de Montoya University (UARM). This tool is designed for sharing information about early childhood in the nation and at the regional, provincial, and district levels. The sight is designed to produce up-to-date information on education, healthcare, nutrition, identify, and public budgets for early childhood. The tool is accessible through the Inversión para la Infancia website.

Development Issues

Children, rights, health, education, nutrition.

Key Points

Founded in 2008, the project proposes a national mobilisation of Peruvians in favour of including the issue of Early Childhood Investment in the action plans of all sectors, both public and private, so that it will begin to appear as the 1st objective of the social and political agenda. This initiative was founded with support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation. The executive group at Investment in Children includes people in the academic, business, scientific, and social fields, as well as communications includes non-governmental organisations (NGO), regional and local governments, foundations, private sector businesses, State entities, and professional groups committed to working with children.

Partners

Bernard van Leer Foundation, COPERA Infancia, Empresarios por la Educación (Business People for Education)), Grupo de Consulta de Cuidado y Desarrollo en Primera Infancia (CGECCD GROUP) (Consultative Group on Development), Mesa de Concertación para la Lucha contra la Pobreza, (Group to Consolidate the Struggle against Poverty), Escuela para el Desarrollo (School for Development), Foro Educativo (Educational Forum), Red de Municipalidades Rurales del Perú, (Network of Rural Municipalities of Peru), Peru´s Children, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University, Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, Avian Foundation, and the National Education Council. The executive group includes: the Colegio Médico (union of medical professionals), Peruvian Society of Paediatricians, regional and local governments, foundations, private sector businesses, State entities (such as Acuerdo Nacional (National Agreement), the Ministry of Women and Social Development – MIMDES, the Ministry of Education – MINEDU, the National Council on Education – CNE, and the Roundtable on the Struggle Against Poverty) and is coordinated nationally by Father Gastón Garatea.

Sources

Inversión en la Infancia website, February 6 2013.