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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Piotrow, P. T., Rimon, J. G., Winnard, K., Kincaid, D. L., Huntingon, D., & Convisser, J. (1990). Mass media family planning promotion in three Nigerian cities

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Piotrow, P. T., Rimon, J. G., Winnard, K., Kincaid, D. L., Huntingon, D., & Convisser, J. (1990). Mass media family planning promotion in three Nigerian cities. Studies in Family Planning, 21(5), 265-274.

Abstract

Television promotion of family planning and clinic sites in three cities of Nigeria--Ilorin, Ibadan, and Enugu--played a significant role in 1985-88 in increasing the number of new acceptors at family planning clinics in each city. Family planning skits, prepared with advice and support from the local service providers, were included in existing popular entertainment shows. Questions asked in a recall survey among the exposed population in Enugu and Ibadan revealed that about half of those surveyed in both cities had seen the television episodes. Of those who had watched, 79 and 99 percent, respectively, recalled the family planning messages, and 69 and 88 percent, respectively, recalled specific clinic sites mentioned. Following the media promotion, the number of new clinic clients per quarter in Ilorin increased almost fivefold (in the original clinics evaluated); in Enugu, the number of new clients per month more than doubled; and in Ibadan, the number of new clients increased threefold. Use of entertainment through this "enter-educate approach" is a promising technique that can be replicated in different settings to encourage new clients to seek family planning services.