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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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Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement - Sri Lanka

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The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement's motto is "We build the road and the road builds us." Literally translated, Sarvodaya Shramadana means "the sharing of thought, energy and resources for the awakening of all." This is a village-based community development movement applying the teachings of Buddha to the development work. The objective is to provide opportunities for volunteers to engage in community development. This provides opportunities for youth to understand the socio-economic problems of the country and to learn the means of solving those problems.
Communication Strategies

Thousands of young people in the movement offer their labour as a gift in rural areas. They help underprivileged people to build drinking water supplies and irrigation systems for their rice fields, roads to villages, schools and community centres for young people, and health and sanitation facilities. The youth are provided with small allowances and bicycles by the programme, which trains them as facilitators in the local development process.
Development Issues

Economic development, community building, rights, youth, health and nutrition, education.
Key Points

The point is not only to build a road, but to help people who feel relatively powerless to realise that by working together they can accomplish great things. Young people (ranging from 16 - 25 yrs) have launched practical programmes in more than 8,000 of a total 23,000 villages in Sri Lanka. The programmes support individuals, families and communities in realising sustainable forms of development involving social, economic and political restructuring. Sarvodaya aims to network the village communities to make a national impact.There are over 2,000 registered Sarvodaya Societies in Sri Lanka. The organisation employs a large full-time paid staff and many volunteers at all levels.
Sources

Letter from Richard Brooks and the Sarvodaya web site.