Development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Wize up, Your Decision, Your Life Campaign - Zimbabwe

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The Wize up, Your Decision, Your life campaign in Zimbabwe used radio talk shows and community dialogues to address sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues for urban and rural youth. As part of the campaign, 9 radio discussion shows were recorded and broadcast by local community radio stations. Topics discussed were service delivery, delaying sexual debut, and communication between parent/guardians and children around sexual issues. The campaign in Zimbabwe is being led by the Action Institute for Environment, Health and Development Communication (Action Institute), as part of a regional SRHR initiative (see related summaries below) that is being implemented in partnership with Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication and funded by the Sweden and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
Communication Strategies

The overall goal of the intervention was to "contribute to the reduction of the burden of disease related to HIV and AIDS, and to the attainment of universal access to SRHR." Action Institute worked with community radio stations in 5 provinces to record and air the radio talk shows. Prior to the recordings, Action Institute facilitated an induction programme for community radio station presenters which focused on how to moderate talk shows. The presenters then became the moderators during the recordings of the talk shows in their areas. Each radio station also listened to and discussed the programmes within their radio listening groups.

In total, nine radio talk shows were produced (two for each of the five provinces except Masvingo where only one was recorded.) In each province one talk show was recorded with an urban community and the other with a rural community to give the programme a balance. For these community-based radio talk shows, a moderator/presenter facilitated the discussion between the panel of experts and the community. The panel consisted of members from various sectors including: Ministries of Gender and Women Affairs; Health; Child Welfare; Youth and Empowerment; Education, Arts, Sport and Culture; as well as a representative for people living with disabilities, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, the National AIDS Council, the Young People's Network on SRHR/HIV and AIDS, and organisations from the various provinces that are involved in the National Behaviour Change programme.

The recorded programmes were also used as part of community dialogue discussions. These dialogues sought to increase the reach of the messages about SRHR and HIV and AIDS and were led by facilitators/peer educators. According to Action, this approach was chosen because "peer groups foster behavioural change in many ways, including providing social support, detailed information, local development of new norms and values that support HIV prevention, specific safer sex skills, and increased self-efficacy through rehearsal and role modelling." The facilitators received a package with a set of 9 recorded talk shows and the Community Dialogues Discussion Toolkit, which includes discussion guides, registers, and monthly feedback forms.

Development Issues

Sexual and reproductive health and rights, Youth

Key Points

The project was informed by formative research which "identified service provision around SRHR, delaying sexual debut and communication between parents/guardians and young people as key areas that needed to be addressed by the intervention." This research found that "young people need information about sexual and reproductive health (sexuality and intimacy, contraceptive use for dual protection, safer sex, sexually transmitted infections) and where to obtain sexual and reproductive health services. They need skills and self-efficacy to be able to discuss and negotiate sex, contraception and condoms with partners, parents and other adults."

Partners

Action Institute for Environment, Health and Development Communication (IEHDC), Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication