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The Communication Initiative
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.
 
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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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Impact Data - Maya Salud (Mayan Health)

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The 4-year Maya Salud project worked to bring high-quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to 51,985 women and men of reproductive age in 95 communities across the 3 municipalities of Guatemala's Ixil Triangle: Nebaj, Cotzal, and Chajul. The Ixil Triangle, deep in the highlands of western Guatemala, is an isolated area with some of the poorest education, economic, and health indicators in Guatemala. The project sought to bridge the gap between those who wanted information, counselling, and services in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in their communities and those charged with providing these services but who often lacked the knowledge, skills, and resources to do so effectively. Maya Salud used a methodology the Partnership Defined Quality (PDQ) methodology, which engages community members in improving and monitoring the quality of their health services through partnerships with the health system.

Methodologies
Save the Children's final evaluation of Maya Salud (2009) measured a number of indicators and contrasted them to the project's baseline (2006).
Knowledge Shifts
72% of women of reproductive age surveyed could name 3 or more FP methods in 2009, up from 52% in 2006.

In 2006, the single greatest source of FP information for women (41.5%) was friends, family, and neighbours. By 2009, the most commonly cited source (36%) was the local health post. In fact, the percentage of women who said that their local health post/health centre was a source for FP information and methods quadrupled - from 15% to 60%.

21% of women of reproductive age received a home visit by a health care provider who spoke with them about FP in 2009, up from 5% in 2006. And 51% of such women received FP information during their last visit to their local health post in 2009, up from 13% in 2006.
Practices
The number of new FP users rose from 2,087 (in 2006) to 5,638 (in 2008) - a 270% change.

The percentage of married/united women using a modern FP method was 28.3% at baseline (2006), and 33.5% at endline (2009).

The number of women who chose tubal ligation as a method of contraception plummeted as less invasive, less costly, and less risky methods became readily available. Meanwhile, Depo Provera surged in popularity. Specifically, in the beginning of the project, before injectables were available, 60% of women were having tubal ligation. As the project progressed, this percentage decreased to 15%, while the percent of women using injectables increased significantly.
Increased Discussion of Development Issues
% of couples who discussed FP, by place:Nebaj in 2006: 44%; in 2009: 46%Cotzal in 2006: 39%; in 2009: 56%Chajul in 2006: 36%; in 2009: 50% In the final evaluation, 56% of women indicated that they had discussed birth spacing and desired family size with their partner in the previous year, in marked contrast to 2006 when only 37% of women did so.
Source
Improving Family Planning by Creating Community-Service Provider Partnerships in Guatemala [PDF], Save the Children - forwarded to the CORE Group Child Survival (CS) Community listserv, December 2 2009.