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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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Early cessation of breastfeeding to prevent postnatal transmission of HIV: a recommendation in need of guidance

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de Paoli, M. M., N. B. Mkwanazi, et al. (2008). "Early cessation of breastfeeding to prevent postnatal transmission of HIV: a recommendation in need of guidance." Acta Paediatr 97(12): 1663-1668.

AIM: Early and rapid cessation of breastfeeding has been recommended by WHO to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This study assessed how HIV-infected mothers planned and experienced breastfeeding cessation as part of an HIV prevention strategy and how counsellors facilitated this process.

METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted among HIV-infected mothers and counsellors from local clinics and an intervention research project in Durban, South Africa.

RESULTS: Mothers enrolled in the research setting reported many success stories in contrast to mothers attending routine services. Consistent counselling and ongoing support from counsellors facilitated this, though specific advice on how to stop breastfeeding and introduce complementary feeds was inadequate amongst both sets of counsellors. Few mothers had a plan for what they were actually going to do on the day when they had decided to stop breastfeeding. Their primary motivation for wanting to rapidly stop breastfeeding, even with the difficulties involved, was to avoid infecting their child with HIV. Both counsellors and HIV-infected mothers expressed concern about practical issues, including social consequences, associated with early cessation. Mothers who had stopped breastfeeding offered some, albeit limited, recommendations to assist and guide other women.

CONCLUSION: The experiences of HIV-infected mothers planning for and stopping breastfeeding early illustrate the complexity of this recommendation and demonstrate that counsellors are ill-prepared to support mothers accomplish this safely. Guidance that acknowledges the cultural context and psychological stresses is urgently needed to direct policy, training and service delivery.