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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Womyn Supporting Womyn Centre - The Philippines

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Initiated in the Philippines in 1994, the Womyn Supporting Womyn Centre (WSWC) is a national organisation of self-identified lesbians committed to promote and enhance lesbian empowerment by:
  • initiating creative efforts for lesbian rights advocacy and positive lesbian visibility
  • supporting lesbian organisations
  • generating and providing timely, appropriate, and responsive support and direct services.
WSWC currently has 14 active core members who come from different fields and sectors: NGO community, women's movement, academia, visual and performing arts, and business. The skills contributed by members include training, research, writing, public speaking to grassroots organisations, legislative advocacy, photography, painting and cooking.
Communication Strategies
In an effort to create a society that is liberating and respectful of the rights and needs of women who love other women, WSWC conducts the following activities and projects:
  • Organises conferences with other groups, including First National Lesbian Rights Conference (1996), Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender Parallel Forum for the 5th ICAAP (1997), National Lesbian and Gay Leaders Conference (1997), 4th Asian Lesbian Network Conference (1998)
  • Conducts the annual celebration of National Lesbian Day, December 8
  • Sponsors monthly discussions open to the lesbian community
  • Provides trainings, discussions, and education sessions on topics related to sexuality and gender, like gender-sensitivity, reproductive health, homophobia, and violence against women
  • Offers fora and symposia (for instance in schools, women's groups, NGOs, offices, and the mass media) on topics such as families, relationships, coming out, discrimination, health, feminism, lesbophobia and lesbian politics
  • Provides a small library for easy access of lesbian resources
  • Publishes Switchboard on a seasonal basis; circulates it locally and internationally. The magazine features news of lesbian activities, gatherings, and updates on issues
  • Conducts cultural work. Artist members of WSWC have formed a cultural arm called Lesbianarama. The artists use their art, craft, and work as a medium for lesbian advocacy. Initial projects included the construction of visual art exhibits for Pride Month activities in 2000 and 2001, and the production of a set of postcards of lesbian artwork to raise funds
  • Collaborates with advocacy groups locally and internationally.
Development Issues
Women, Rights, Gender.
Key Points
WSWC was started as a committee under the Women's Education, Development, Productivity and Research Organization (Wedpro), which ran a Lesbian Hotline and published the Switchboard, a lesbian newsletter. It also began documentation of lesbian experiences and steadily strengthened its capacity for training on lesbian issues. In September 1997, WSWC became an independent organisation that now works to build and strengthen a lesbian movement that is fully integrated with the women's movement. The group was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a legal entity in June, 1999.
Sources

Letter sent from WSWC to The Communication Initiative on August 19, 2002.