Social Norms
Social norms action with informed and engaged societies
Social Norms
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 27 years ago
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National Poverty Hearings - South Africa

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Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa addressed issues related to the physically violent aspects of the political change process, they neglected the equally serious issues of the social ravages of apartheid. These include the serious consequences from apartheid policies on education, housing, employment, land ownership and labour. Such policies are major contributors to the serious poverty situation in South Africa. In response, a number of community groups worked together to create the Poverty Hearings. These provided an opportunity for people living in poverty, along with community and national decision makers and experts on poverty to present and debate their experiences and perspectives.
Communication Strategies

At the Hearings, people were able to comment on poverty - how it affected them, what can be done. The hearings provided an opportunity for the presentation of the perspectives of the people most socially affected by apartheid and for debate and discussion on the best ways forward for positive national action on poverty issues.

Development Issues

Economic development, Poverty.

Key Points

Formal democratisation in South Africa has had the perverse affect of pushing people out of the public sphere, rather than drawing them into it. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not address systemic deprivation of human rights (for example-housing, education, health). As a result of the process of the National Poverty Hearings, the Government of South Africa adopted the National Poverty Programme which is now being implemented.

Sources

Letter from George Soule of the Rockefeller Foundation to The Communication Initiative based on a presentation by Kumi Naidoo.