In its 24 years, DKT Brazil has transformed itself from a charity entirely dependent on international donors to a social enterprise dependent only on its own business and marketing expertise.
Brazil has become one of the centers of the social enterprise in the world. In 2012, the Social Enterprise World Forum was held there. I’m reading more articles which claim that social enterprise is becoming the norm, “a really valid option proposed for anyone wanting to start or grow a business” in the country.
When DKT Brazil was launched in 1990 as a condom social marketing organization, it considered itself a charity and was funded mainly by the U.S. Agency for International Development and other donors. But when the organization lost its USAID funding in 2003, it was forced to become financially sustainable.
About the author
David J. Olsondavidjolson
David J. Olson is a part-time technical advisor for the Palladium Group, advising social marketing projects in Mali and Zambia, and consults on communications with various non-governmental organizations ranging from the American Cancer Society to IntraHealth International and the World Health Organization. He managed social marketing programs for PSI in Zambia, Bangladesh and Paraguay, and headed PSI external communications at its headquarters. Starting his development career as a Peace Corps agricultural education volunteer in Togo, he has more than 30 years of experience in strategic communications, policy and program implementation on five continents and in four languages. Follow him on Twitter @davidjolson and check out his website www.olsonglobalcom.com.
