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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Aiisseee! (I Say!) Radio Relationship Game Show

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Launched in January 2014, Aiisseee! (I Say!) is a radio-based game show in Tanzania designed to improve couple communication and promote couple connectedness by giving contestants and listeners the chance to discuss serious relationship issues in a humorous way. Topics covered include issues relating to sexual networks, HIV counselling and testing, family planning, and maternal and child health. Aiisseee! is an initiative of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs’ Tanzania Capacity and Communication Project and is produced by Khanga Rue Media in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Communication Strategies

In each 30-minute programme, three couples compete against each other to see which couple knows each other the best. "In a series of three rounds, couples are asked questions that reveal how well they communicate, the transparency of their relationship, and how attentive they are to each other as partners, with the goal of winning a romantic getaway for two." Pre-recorded sound bites from men and women on the street, speaking on related topics, are interspersed with the contest rounds.

Co-hosted by two of Tanzania's top radio presenters, the approach of the show is to be "subtle yet provocative", in order to create a comfortable forum for addressing hard-to-discuss issues in a humorous and non-confrontational way. Season One of Aiisseee! launched on Clouds FM in January 2014. The 26-episode season aired weekly on Sundays between 6:45 and 8:00pm. Season Two started in August 2014, with plans to rebroadcast Season One on regional radio stations in Tanzania towards the end of 2014.

People can also interact with the show through the Aiisseee! Facebook page and can listen to recorded episodes online. A Facebook app was developed so couples can also play the game at home. As of September 2014, the show was in the process of being adapted for television.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health

Partners

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs' Tanzania Capacity and Communication Project, Khanga Rue Media, Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, United States Agency for International Development, US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Sources

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs website on September 3 2014.