Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
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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World Polio Day Online Event on the 'Role of Women in Polio Eradication'

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"From global and national leaders and advocates to fundraisers, vaccination campaign managers and scientists...to disease surveillance officers and local community workers building trust in vaccines at the local level...the commitment and diligence of...women enable us to vaccinate over 400 million children every year." - UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

This is a recording of an online Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) event hosted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on World Polio Day 2021. Moderated by Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Senior Fellow at United Nations Foundation and former UNICEF Deputy Director, the 60-minute event showcases the work, lives, and voices of women around the world directly involved or supporting polio eradication.

After opening remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the event features a virtual trip around the world to hear from women involved in different roles in the polio eradication effort. For example, Nigeria's 20,000 polio community workers - more than 90% of them women - played a critical role in the country being certified wild polio virus (WPV) free in 2020. These women worked to reach out to mothers and caregivers in areas where social norms prevented male polio team members from interacting with women in the community. There are similar examples from Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the increase in the female polio community workforce has contributed to growing vaccine acceptance in some previously-hesitant communities.

The event concludes with a live panel discussion among polio and gender experts including Dr. Anita Zaidi (President of Gender Equality Division, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), Dr. Tunji Funsho (Chair of Rotary International's polio eradication programme in Nigeria), Dr. Rahila Umer (Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS) in Quetta, Pakistan), and Dr. Sahar Hegazi (Sr. Communication for Development Specialist in the UNICEF South Asia Region supporting WPV-endemic countries).

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