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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Implications of the western Kenya permethrin-treated bed net study for policy, program implementation, and future research

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Hawley, W. A., F. O. ter Kuile, et al. (2003) Implications of the western Kenya permethrin-treated bed net study for policy, program implementation, and future research. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 168-173

Methods and Findings: The fifth, and probably last, large-scale, group-randomized, controlled trial of insecticide (permethrin)-treated bed nets (ITNs) showed that ITNs are efficacious in reducing all-cause post-neonatal mortality in an area of intense, perennial malaria transmission. The trial helped to define pregnant women and infants as target groups for this intervention in high transmission settings. High population coverage with ITNs in both target and non-target groups may be critical to enhance health and survival in pregnant women and infants. The proportion of households with ITNs (coverage), the proportion of individuals properly deploying ITNs each night (adherence), and the proportion of nets properly treated with insecticide (treatment) are the three key determinants of effectiveness of large-scale ITN programs.

Conclusions: These three simple outcomes should serve as the basis for program objectives and monitoring and evaluation efforts. Coverage effects and economic analysis support the proposition that ITNs may be viewed as a public good, worthy of public support. Research should continue to improve the intervention tools (the net, the insecticide, and methods for durable treatment and re-treatment) and their deployment.