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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 lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Published 25 years ago
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Youth Interwoven With Age - Bolivia

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Using local materials, youths in the community copy a full-size loom to create a thriving business for a programme initially developed for elderly widows to renew their weaving skills.
Communication Strategies
Through personal contact & community action, elderly widows & the town's youth came together in a project fostering self esteem & friendship; giving both groups an important place in the community.
Development Issues
Ageing, Population, Youth, Economic Development
Key Points
A full-size weaving loom was provided by an international agency to enable elderly widows in the remote Bolivian town of Trinidad, Beni, to refresh their rusty weaving skills. Each woman was given 1/2 a day each week to work on the loom until a church youth group asked permission to study the mechanism and copy it. Using local forest materials, the youth group was able to reproduce 12 more looms at no cost to the programme & for use exclusively by the elderly/disabled. Traditional brightly coloured weavings were produced for profit. When the weavings were displayed at a cultural exhibition in La Paz, the Trinidad widow weavers won 1st prize of US$ 100. This operation created an affinity between the youths & the elderly & inspired them to consider additional "business" projects.
Sources

The UN Compendium of Community Programmes for Older Persons in Newly Ageing Countries Website

Compiled by Dr.Ken Tout, Consultant, ConsultAge, United Kingdom, 1999