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 - PRISM (Pour Renforcer les Interventions en Santé reproductive et MST/SIDA-Strengthening Interventions in Reproductive Health and STD/AIDS) Youth Campaign

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Launched in 8 districts in Guinea in July and August 2001, this community-based campaign was designed to foster open discussion about sexual health issues affecting young people. The campaign addressed Guineans aged 15 to 24 with messages about abstinence and condom use in an effort to reduce unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STI), and HIV/AIDS. The year-long campaign combined youth-driven community-based interventions with mass media.

Knowledge Shifts
Among young men in the intervention group (p < 0.01), 85.5% (versus 57.1% in the control group) knew where to get condoms; 70.0% (versus 37.7% in the control group) knew how to use condoms.
Practices
The campaign was effective in improving preventive behaviour such as condom use at last sex, which was higher (p < 0.01) in the intervention area than the control (47.6% versus 24.1% for men and 27.0% versus 2.7% for women, respectively). Young men who participated in a larger number of campaign activities showed significantly higher odds (1.24) of using a condom at last sex as compared to one year prior to the survey.
Attitudes
Again, among young men in the intervention group (p < 0.01), 77.5% (versus 53.0% in the control group) were willing to use condoms; 69.5% (versus 30.6% in the intervention group) advocated for condoms.

As compared to data collected one year prior to this survey, young women had higher odds (1.27) of contemplating abstinence when they perceived their community to be more open to discussing reproductive health issues.
Increased Discussion of Development Issues
60.4% of young men (and 41.0% of young women) in the intervention group reported more community openness in discussing youth sexuality issues, as compared to 32.7% of males and 13.3% of females in the control group.
Access
The majority of respondents participated in at least one campaign activity, with more men (83%) than women (63%) participating. Peer educators were the primary source of reproductive health messages; more than 80% of youth felt that community and religious leaders supported the peer educators.
Source
Communication Impact! [PDF] June 2003, Number 16; and letter sent from Kim Martin to The Communication Initiative on June 27 2003.