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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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Integrated interventions to reduce neonatal mortality in a tribal area of South Gujarat

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Desai, L., P. Shah, et al. (2005). "Integrated interventions to reduce neonatal mortality in a tribal area of South Gujarat." Journal of Neonatology 19(1): 21-29.

Background: SEWA Rural (SR), a voluntary development organization made an intensive effort to reduce neonatal mortality rate while managing a formal Primary Health Center (pop. 39,000) in a rural, poor and tribal area of south Gujarat during 1998-1999. The Infant and neonatal mortality rates have remained stagnant for almost a decade all over including at Jhagadia PHC managed by SEWA Rural.

Objective: This paper focuses the impact of an integrated health model and approach that SEWA Rural used to reduce neonatal deaths during the 18 month period. As two thirds of the deliveries were still taking place at home, efforts were made to provide home based essential care to all the newborns at birth as well as to identify and provide necessary support and treatment to sick newborns through ensuring frequent follow up visits during neonatal period and managing timely referral at SEWA Rural's well equipped base hospital when required. Special focus was given to babies born with low birth weight. Efforts were also made towards building community awareness and involvement of family members. The village level cadres of Traditional Birth Attendants and Anganwadi Workers played a crucial role in this initiative.

Results: The infant mortality rate was brought down to 41 from 64, while there was a substantial reduction in neonatal mortality rate which came down to 29 from 45 during the project period (July 1998 to Dec. 1999) which was made possible because of integrated interventions and focused attention. This has proved that neonatal deaths particularly due to infection and low birth weight can be prevented by timely identification and proper management at the home level.