Media
Media development action with informed and engaged societies
Media

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

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 13 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Health Research Now

0 comments

Launched in 2012 in Malawi, this 1-year project draws on a radio capacity-building initiative for journalists in an effort to bring together scientific researchers, the public, and the media to engage in consideration of a range of medical research issues. It is an initiative of the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme (MLW).

Communication Strategies

Umoyo N'kukamirana is a radio programme with a national reach and a magazine style. Aiming to reach both youth and adults through the local language of Chichewa, the programme focuses on themes such as: research ethics and blood issues, malaria, meningitis, DNA, cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis (TB), and vaccines. The topics are in line with MLW's research work, but the organisation also sought input from talks with communities in 6 areas where they have set up radio listening clubs. The role of these clubs is to give feedback on the programmes once they are on air, as well as to help stir debate during the programmes as they air live on radio MBC 1 every Sunday from 5:00-5:30 p.m. Guests on the programme will consist of MLW researchers as well as representatives from partner organisations.

 

The other part of the project involves capacity building for journalists on how to report on health research issues. To start, in May 2012, journalists and editors from various media houses attended a 2-day-long workshop in Blantyre to build their capacity and to help them understand the process and challenges involved in releasing health research findings, such as writing with user-friendly medical terminology. One of the facilitators emphasised the need to report health research findings in an interesting way so as to attract readers' and listeners' attention. More such seminars will follow during the course of the project.

Development Issues

Health.

Key Points

WST's Science Communication Officer Tamara Chipasula notes that "there has not [been] much fact-based science reporting in Malawian newspapers, online, television and radio. This is due to lack of basic health research information for use by the media and also lack of trust between journalists and health researchers."

Sources

Email from Tamara Chipasula to The Communication Initiative on September 6 2012; Malawi Voice, May 16 2012, accessed September 24 2012; Open Development Technology Alliance, accessed September 24 2012. Image credit: Open Development Technology Alliance.