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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Impact Data - Immunisation Communication Strategy - Burkina Faso

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The evaluation research focused primarily on the interpersonal communication skills of health workers (HWs). The specific research objectives were (1) to evaluate the impact of training on HWs' performance during vaccination sessions, (2) to assess the impact that past performance had on HWs' performance and on client knowledge and satisfaction, (3) to track the distribution, exposure, and use of informational print materials and the radio programme, and (4) to assess the impact of the print materials and the radio programme on mothers' knowledge.

Methodologies
A longitudinal observational study was conducted in Burkina Faso to follow levels of HWs' performance after they received training to improve their interpersonal communication skills. These included assessments during training (Time I) and post intervals at 1 (Time II) and 6 months (Time III). The distribution and use of print materials and exposure to the radio programme and song among both HWs and mothers were also tracked. Thirty HWs who had been trained in interpersonal communication skills and 30 untrained HWs were observed in the two control provinces. Mother knowledge and attitudes towards HW were assessed using exit interviews with the mothers involved as they left the health facility. Finally, print materials were tracked using a form that was filled out by health centre staff, who recorded receipt/distribution and disposition/usage data.
Knowledge Shifts
Over 70% of the mothers mentioned vaccination when describing what the interactive sticker and form had taught them. Mothers mentioned numerous benefits when asked how these materials helped them, including: remembering to get vaccinations, understanding and protecting children, acquiring good health, and dealing with side effects. More of the exposed mothers (87-96%, depending on type of exposure) knew that 5 visits were required to complete the immunisation compared to those who had not been exposed (71-80%). Similarly, more exposed mothers (60-75%) than unexposed (38-48%) knew that a child should be vaccinated against measles at 9 months. An increase in the number of materials that the mothers were exposed to correlated to an increase in the knowledge of the mothers with respect to the questions asked.
Practices
Health Workers (HW) used the techniques and strategies that they were trained in quite effectively in the immediate aftermath of the training, but many of the practices subsequently declined in usage after a month and then subsequently raised again at the 6-month review after the HWs had received some feedback. For example, immediately after training, 85% of HW waited for the child to be calm before beginning (where appropriate); after 1 month, this had fallen to 50%, but at the 6-month review this had moved back up to 76%. Following the feedback session, the frequency of most behaviour went back up, sometimes surpassing the original values. The control group demonstrated very low frequency of the ideal behaviours (e.g., waiting for calm child = < 10% throughout), and remained constant in their practices. The researchers also used a combined performance scoring system that measured 4 factors: the amount of content the HW passed on, the HWs positive behaviour, the mother's knowledge, and client satisfaction. The results were mixed; mother knowledge went from 4.2 immediately after training (TI), to 4.4 at 1 month (TII), to 5 at 6 months (TIII). HW behaviour, on the other hand, went 5.2 - 4.3 - 3.7, whereas HW content went 1.8 - 1.1 - 1.4.
Access
56% of the mothers of the group being addressed had seen the interactive form, 10% had one of the interactive stickers, 32% had seen the sticker, 48% had been shown the flipchart, and 16% had seen the flipchart more than once. In March, 48% of mothers had heard the song on the radio; 80% of those (38% of the total) had heard it more than once. 49% of the mothers had heard the radio programme; 13% of those had heard 1-3 episodes, 8% had heard 4-6 episodes, and 4% had heard 7-10 programmes.
Source
"Sustaining Health Worker Performance in Burkina Faso" (Technical Report). Karabi Bhattacharyya, Lona Shafritz and Judith A Graeff. A BASICS Publication.