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. 

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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Imams in Bangladesh Mobilize Against Human Trafficking

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Summary

This brief article discusses how more than 2,000 imams in Bangladesh are fighting human trafficking by working with a local programme offered by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) United Development Initiatives for Programmed Actions (UDDIPAN). With support from the Academy for Educational Development (AED), the Community Mobilization Program Involving Imams in Anti-Trafficking (COMPIAT) provides training to and supports networking among Imams in what are considered the 20 most-affected districts. With approximately 250,000 mosques in Bangladesh and at least as many imams, this training and support is seen by AED as a significant national media effort.


According to the article, many imams have a deep-seated mistrust for NGOs. "By linking anti-trafficking to the teachings of Islam and showing tangible changes in the communities involved, the project works to build trust between the imams and the NGO community."

Imams involved in the project include information about trafficking prevention in their weekly prayer recitations, and they organise village gatherings and lead community watchdog groups.

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Source

E-News @ AED, Issue 17, June 17 2006.