The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
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.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Published 24 years ago
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Day Kadi Lost Part of Her Life

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The Day Kadi Lost Part of Her Life documents a young African girls genital mutilation. Two million girls and women in 30 countries undergo female genital mutiliation (FGM) every year. The sacrifice, which involves the removal of the clitoris, usually without anaesthetic or standard medical tools, is a tradition that spans back centuries, before the advent of Christianity or Islam. According to Olayinka Koso-Thomas's Prologue, Kadi's story is "typical of every little girl who lives in a community where to be loved, married, and held in high esteem requires you to be genitally mutilated. Failure to undergo the operation leads to harassment, ridicule, abuse, trauma, and eventual ostracism from one's community." Every page of the publication includes large, grainy, black and white photos of the practise being performed. The final image is that of Kadi after the surgery has been perfomed; she appears stunned by the pain.
The book is written in English. It was shortlisted for Excellence in Educational Publishing at the 1999 Australian's Awards. :

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