Children
Child rights action with informed and engaged societies
Children

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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Talking Frankly

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Developed with children in grades six through ten across Jordan, Talking Frankly is designed to make school a place to learn about making healthy lifestyle choices and adopting health behaviours. An initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Jordan Health Communication Partnership (JHCP) as part of a private-public partnership, Taking Frankly was launched in 2009 and has since been implemented in over 40 schools in an effort to raise awareness about the health issues that arise with puberty.

Communication Strategies

This initiative involved the provision of information in the form of printed materials, including: the installation of 18 health rooms in girls' schools where the girls receive general information about health issues and can acquire feminine hygiene products; the development and distribution of two booklets (for boys and girls) addressing a range of topics, including changes that come with puberty, nutrition for adolescents, the importance of physical activity, and proper hygiene; and the creation of a pamphlet for parents teaching them how to better understand their teenage children.

 

Talking Frankly also included a competition between the schools for the healthiest and cleanest school environments. Forty-six schools from across Jordan participated in the competition, which assessed the management of health at the schools, the overall hygiene level at the schools, and the students’ understanding of health issues. The students performed skits about health subjects, including puberty, hygiene, nutrition, smoking and exercise, and prepared exhibitions on the same range of topics. An awards ceremony, held in July, celebrated the efforts of schools across Amman, Zarqa, Irbid, Ajloun, and Balqa'a.

 

In order to ensure the sustainability of the “Talking Frankly” initiative, broaden its reach, and seek continued interaction between the public and private sectors, JHCP has developed an interactive, educational website designed to help students continue to learn about their own health in a fun and enjoyable way by participating in a competition and allowing contestants with the highest results to win many prizes. Students can also continue discussion about health topics and download the informational booklets.

Development Issues

Children, Youth, Health.

Key Points

Quotes from three female student-participants in Talking Frankly include thanking the initiative for giving them "this opportunity to understand more about my body and the physical changes I am passing through", "the chance to respect the way I look and to deal with my body properly", and "the chance to learn on how and what I should do to keep my personal hygiene."

Partners

With funding from USAID: the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHUCCP), the Ministries of Education and Health, Fine Hygienic Paper Company, and Fine Sancella Hygiene Jordan.

Sources

JHUCCP website, October 24 2011.