19,084 Share Your Views in the Final Drumbeat, February 13 2025



Share your views in the final Drumbeat Like many of you, The Communication Initiative (The CI) and its partners have been badly impacted by the dismantling of USAID and the stop work orders on essential humanitarian programmes around the world. Sadly, on March 15 2025, we will be forced to cease operations. We are acutely aware that the loss of The CI comes at a time when spaces for knowledge sharing and dialogue are urgently needed, and we have not come to this decision lightly. In recognition of this situation and the role The CI knowledge base could play as we collectively regroup, we are writing to ask for your participation in our final Drum Beat, which will be published on Friday, February 28th. This edition will both clarify what the plan will be with our website going forward and will give voice to those affected by the dismantling of USAID – that is, those of you in our network and those with whom you work. We feel that it is important to acknowledge the moment we all find ourselves in. We understand that many of us are emotional, stressed, and preoccupied with the crises we are facing, but we also hope some of you would have the time and strength to write a few words describing what these actions mean for you. Specifically, we are inviting you to send us a paragraph on what this moment means for you and your work: what it is costing and perhaps what you see emerging as ways forward. You can send your response to us at drumbeat@comminit.com with the subject line ‘Final Drum Beat’. Time is short for us at The CI, so we will need to hear back from you by February 21st. We will consider your responses and incorporate them in our final Drum Beat. It is possible that comments we are not able to include in the confines of the email version will be included in a longer version posted on The CI website. (Please note that we will need to reserve the right to excerpt from your full contribution in the interest of brevity and/or to comply with our editorial policies.) This is a time of extremes, and we are all filled with a mix of emotions.This final Drum Beat is an attempt to capture the impact and thinking of this extraordinary network of people committed to building a world that listens to and builds from the perspectives and priorities of those most affected by change. We hope you will find time to reply to this ‘last call’, and, while nothing is certain, we will work hard to find a new home for The CI to continue to support this field and its essential work into the future. Once again, you can send your replies to drumbeat@comminit.com with the subject line ‘Final Drum Beat’. Many thanks for engaging so that the final Drum Beat can reflect your voices. Yours in sadness and solidarity, The CI Team[top]