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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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International maternal mortality reduction: Outcome of traditional birth attendant education and intervention in Angola

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Schaider, J., S. Ngonyani, et al. (1999). "International maternal mortality reduction: Outcome of traditional birth attendant education and intervention in Angola." Journal of Medical Systems 23(2): 99-105.

Background. As a result of war and periodic natural disasters, Angola has among the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. In response to the acute health needs of the population, the International Medical Corps (IMC) developed a traditional birth attendant educational course designed to reduce the preventable causes of maternal and infant mortality.

Methods. From 1994 until 1998, Angolan traditional birth attendants (TBAs) participated in an intensive 38-hr training course on prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care. Following the birth of a child, the trained TBAs completed a registration form containing information regarding the health of the mother. Previous studies of Angolan maternal mortality served as historic comparisons.

Findings. Complete data including maternal mortality data were available for 19,666 deliveries (83% of total). Fifty five maternal deaths were recorded, which corresponds to a maternal mortality rate of 293 per 100,000 live births. The average historic maternal mortality rate for available comparison groups was 1241 per 100,000 live births.

Interpretation. The maternal mortality rate was reduced among women managed by IMC-trained TBAs when compared with historical control data.