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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Mass Media Family Planning - Kenya

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Inspired by the success of India's Hum Log television series and other international enter-educate soap operas, Kenya developed its first family planning television and radio series', "Tushuariane" (Let's Discuss) and "Ushikwapo Shikimana" (When Given Advice, Take It), respectively. Both serials were broadcast in Swahili. Radio and television producers were trained by Miguel Sabido and Televisa as a result of coordination by Population Communications International.
Communication Strategies

60 episodes of "Tushuariane", a 30-minute television programme, were broadcast. "Tushuariane" quickly became the most popular programme on Kenyan television. The story linked land shortage issues with family size. Two brothers, one with one son and one with nine, inherit their father's land. Dividing the land in two, the brother with nine sons has only small parcels of land to give to his children. Despite "Tushuariane"'s popularity, the programme was removed from the air after just 60 episodes for political reasons having nothing to do with the content of the series. The programme was to be re-broadcast in late 1994.

214 episodes of "Ushikwapo Shikimana", a radio programme, were broadcast; each episode was broadcast twice. The central theme of the radio programme, "Ushikwapo Shikimana", dealt with family harmony and the experience of two families, one with four wives and many children, the other with one wife and fewer children. The smaller family is better able to ensure opportunity for the children than the larger one. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this simultaneously emotional and rational appeal was especially effective in reaching men and conveying to them the benefits of family planning.


Development Issues

Family Planning, Population.

Key Points

Radio proved to be a more effective medium in Kenya for promoting family planning. The serial was permitted to remain on the airways for over two years. Analysis of radio listenership showed that each broadcast of "Ushikwapo Shikimana" reached on average between 40 and 50% of the Kenyan population.


Partners

Population Communications International / PCI-Media Impact.

Sources

"The Use of Mainstream Media to Encourage Social Responsibility: The International Experience" - The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - Prepared by: Jennifer Daves and Liza Nickerson - The Media Project