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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Support to National Malaria Programme (SuNMaP)

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Launched in June 2008, the five-year Support to National Malaria Programme (SuNMaP) is working to increase access to, and coverage of, preventive and curative malaria control interventions in at least six Nigerian states. The Malaria Consortium is implementing the programme in collaboration with a group of international partners, with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) tasked with increasing community awareness and demand for effective malaria treatment and prevention. SuNMaP is designed to harmonise donor efforts and funding agencies around agreed-upon national policies and plans for malaria control, and to strengthen the National Malaria Control Programme to provide crucial coordination.

Communication Strategies

The Support to National Malaria Programme (SuNMaP) combines capacity building, strengthening public-private partnerships, and awareness raising, with distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs). According to JHU/CCP, the programme's approach is focused on reaching the economically poor and vulnerable populations.

As a first step, the programme conducted a literature review and mapping exercise to identity existing strategies and provide information for the development of state-specific communication strategies. They also conducted qualitative research to identify barriers and normative beliefs around the use of LLINs, treatment seeking behaviour, and uptake of intermittent presumptive treatment of pregnant women (IPT).

According to JHU/CCP, organisers distributed more than two million LLINs during the first stages of Nigeria's rolling universal coverage campaign, and played a key role in the planning and execution. They have also developed media (radio spots and a campaign song) and print materials for LLIN campaigns, which are designed to encourage participation, hanging of nets, prompt treatment seeking, and intermittent presumptive treatment (IPT) uptake for pregnant women.

Programme organisers have also developed communication training modules for health agents, clinicians, patent medicine vendors and role model mothers.

Click here to download publications and project materials.

Development Issues

Malaria

Key Points

Malaria Consortium, HPI and GRID, HERFON, the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP), FOMWAN, CHAN, CHAN Medipharm, PMG-MAN

Partners

Malaria Consortium, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP)

Sources

Center for Communication Programs website and SuNMaP project summary (PDF) on June 12 2011.