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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PATS - Democratic Republic of Congo

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Started in August 1994, this programme was established to provide temporary assistance to the health sector in the DRC as the first phase of a programme to improve the entire health system. The main objectives of PATS are to meet basic health requirements and to safeguard the future, in addition to granting aid to step up health services in rural areas, supporting urban community initiatives and setting up projects relating to general health issues in the areas of Kinshasa, Kasai and Kivu.
Communication Strategies

Promotion of a grants scheme for monetary aid is granted to community projects. This group of projects are carried out by the partners in civil society, and technical support is provided by the EU.
Development Issues

AIDS, tuberculosis, opportunistic infections, health and nutrition.
Key Points

PATS (programme d'appui transitoire au secteur de la santé) strongly emphasizes coordination and reliance on the Congolese civil society at many different levels. There is coordination between community groups and foreign partners, the community and member states and also at the level concerned where technical assistance offices have been established. PATS represents an opportunity to develop a gradual new approach to public health in a country where, after years of social upheaval, the social foundations of development need to be re-laid.
Partners



Community groups, European Union ECU

Sources

"Development" European Commission, (Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1998) December 1998, p. 27.