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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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Development Communications Evidence Research Network (DCERN): Impact of Communication in Development

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Initiated by the Department for International Development (DFID), this initiative revolves around a portal that explores 5 key sectors - agriculture, education, health, governance, and economic growth - and suggests ways in which incorporating good communication practice can enhance the delivery of development outcomes. It is meant to serve as a response to a felt need on the part of some in the development community who have increasingly expressed the need to demonstrate the impact that communication can play on development. This portal brings together materials that demonstrate what does (and does not) work, and is designed to both inform policy debate and provide a forum for users to share additional evidence.
Communication Strategies

DCERN uses a web-based strategy in order to recognise and advocate for the importance of research into the impact of communication in social change. The key strategy is participation. The DCERN portal is designed to enable users to share opportunities to influence policy when a window of change opens up, and to review documents and upload materials based on their own experiences. The e-platform is meant to be a place where users can access materials - and, crucially - to assess them (by providing a star rating). This input has been fed into a synthesis paper created for each of the 5 sectors that pulls together the most compelling pieces of evidence.

In order to maximise the chance to demonstrate the impact of communications in a number of development sectors, organisers provide guidelines to practitioners seeking to make contributions to the web portal. For instance, they call for robust evidence, indicating that - while case studies, anecdotes, and stories can be powerful in getting a message across - survey data or quantitative analysis is what is sought here. In an effort to inform policy development fully, organisers invite evidence that highlights both what works and what does not.

Development Issues

Agriculture, Education, Health, Governance, and Economic Growth.

Sources

DCERN portal.

Teaser Image
http://www.dcern.org/images/economic-growth-main.jpg