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 cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Impact Data - Emergency Contraception Promotion Project (ECPP)

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Date
Knowledge Shifts
  • Provider knowledge increased significantly from pretest to posttest regarding the effectiveness of ECPs (51% to 85%), safety of ECPs (40% to 75%), and the timing of the first dose (34% to 59%).
  • Provider knowledge increased significantly from pretest to posttest regarding how ECPs work and common side effects:
    • how ECPs appear to work: delaying ovulation increased from 12% to 22%, preventing fertilisation increased from 17% to 36%, and preventing implantation increased from 56% to 80%
    • knowledge of nausea and vomiting as side effects increased from 51% to 75% and 29% to 45%, respectively
Practices
There was an increase in the number of providers who gave advance prescriptions or supplies of EC to their patients after attending PSI EC trainings. In Sacramento the percentage of providers doing so rose from 15.6% at pretest to 45.5% at posttest.
Attitudes
Provider attitudes that were favourable toward ECPs increased significantly from pretest to posttest, including attitudes that:
  • ECPs do not act by causing an abortion - increased from 78% to 96%
  • Providing EC information/pills does not discourage consistent use of other contraceptive methods - increased from 76% to 88%
  • Unprotected intercourse would not increase if ECPs were available to all women - increased from 70% to 84%
  • Repeated use of ECPs does not pose health risks - increased from 46% to 65%
  • ECPs should be available over-the-counter without a prescription - increased from 42% to 54%
Increased Discussion of Development Issues
During weeks in which the EC radio advertisements aired, calls to the 888-NOT-2-LATE EC hotline (which was promoted in all EC messages) tripled in the Portland and quadrupled in the Sacramento area. Calls to the hotline still remain well above baseline in these cities.

There was an increase in the number of non-clinical trainees reporting that they talk about EC. Those who sometimes (less than 2 times a week) talk about EC with their clients increased from 30% at the pretest to 52% at posttest; those who talk 3 or more times a week about EC with clients increased from 5% at the pretest to 18% at posttest.
Access
As part of its community mobilisation process, organisers made contact with over 60 community members and organisations from various sectors and tripled the number of pharmacies stocking Plan B® (an emergency contraception pill, or ECP). In addition, in Portland, at posttest, nearly three-fourths (73%) of the health care providers who participated in training reported having EC information available for all of the women they serve, compared to 29% at baseline. The radio campaign generated at least 1.5 million gross impressions (total number of times the ads were seen by the audience being addressed). By the end of the project, 2,356 posters (1,406 in English and 950 in Spanish) and 53,158 wallet cards (32,125 in English and 21,033 in Spanish) had been distributed.
Source
Emails from Alexandra Lowell to The Communication Initiative on January 27 2004 and April 16 2007; The Emergency Contraceptive Newsletter, Spring 2001, Vol. 6, No. 1 (no longer available online); and United States page on the PSI website (page no longer available, but click here to learn more about PSI's EC initiatives.)