Child rights 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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Bike4Care

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A project of CooP-Africa: Cycling Out of Poverty, the Bike4Care project enables community health workers to visit more patients at a greater distance. In addition, a bicycle ambulance makes patient transport to health centres possible, and mobile pharmacies on bicycles enable access to medicines. CooP Africa has Bike4Care projects in Uganda, Kenya, and Burkino Faso.

Communication Strategies

In Uganda, for example, there are a large number of volunteer health care workers who serve households in specific regions with house calls and outreach on health issues. Health workers use the bicycle for door-to-door health checks and counselling. The Bike4Care project addresses 3 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), intending to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health care, and combat HIV, malaria, and other diseases.

 

The Bike4Care Uganda programme arranges an official launch ceremony to engage and inform the local community when bicycle care is made available. Village Health Teams, Community-Based Trainers, local officials, and district and community health officers, as well as community members, are invited to attend.

 

In Burkina Faso, the primary focus population of the Bikes4Care project consists of widows, orphans, and families affected by HIV/AIDS. These individuals are given bicycles or tricycles to start small trade businesses with products (soap, cloths, etc.) made by the sponsoring non-governmental organisation AVO and/or other products. To sustain the project, particularly bike maintenance, AVO is selling advertising space on the tricycles.

 

In Nyzana, Kenya, outreach workers provide isolated communities with health information and health products that are preventative, including mosquito nets and water purification tablets and filters.

 

Development Issues

Health, Children, Women, HIV/AIDS, Malaria

Key Points

During a ceremony in Kumi, Uganda, 108 health workers were officially handed a bicycle to enable them to improve their community outreach. A project launch took place in Apac, Uganda, equipping 168 health care workers.

 

The CooP Africa organisation also runs Bike4Work projects - training for bike service and modification - and a credit programme for purchase by small entrepreneurs. Their Bike4School project provides bikes for the purpose of student and teacher access to distant schools.

 

Partners

In Uganda: Bernard van Leer Foundation, Bicycle Sponsorship Project & Workshop (BSPW), First African Bicycle Information Organization (FABIO); in Kenya: Safaricom, co-financed by Impulsis; in Burkina Faso: AVO, 1% Club, co-financed by Impulsis

Sources

CooP Africa website, August 30 2012.