DKT is one of the largest private providers of family planning and reproductive health products and services in the developing world, serving 21 million couples in 2013, and preventing 8.3 million unwanted pregnancies, 12,364 maternal deaths, and 1.8 million abortions.
DKT Ethiopia (DKT/E) prevents HIV and unwanted pregnancy in Ethiopia. Active in the country since 1990, DKT/E ensures a consistent supply of high quality condoms, contraceptives and other health products in urban and rural areas of Ethiopia. DKT Ethiopia is the leading provider of condoms and contraceptives in Ethiopia, supplying 75% of the condoms and 40% of the oral contraceptives in Ethiopia from 2005 – 2010.
DKT/E's activities are supported by a number of donors. Donor support allows DKT/E to sell products at subsidized prices, enabling the organization to avail socially useful products that would not otherwise be available through pure commercial channels, or at least not at the same scale. Furthermore, because DKT/E sells products rather than donating them - as many non-profits do - DKT/E is able to leverage efficiencies afforded by commercial distribution. This is the heart of social marketing.
In addition to product procurement and distribution, DKT/E promotes its brands extensively through traditional channels - television, radio, and billboards - as well as grassroots promotion using Point-of-Purchase (POP) materials, product orientation, and more. DKT/E's brands are among the most recognized in the country.
DKT/E also engages in mass education and behavior change campaigns designed to increase condom and family planning use throughout the country. DKT/E's Wise-Up Program (Wise-Up) is one of the most recognized HIV-prevention campaigns in the country. DKT/E's new flagship activity targeting rural areas - The Lekie Initiative - is quickly gaining recognition in many of the most underserved parts of the country.
Results
From 2005 - 2012, DKT/E provided 14.6 million couple years' protection (CYP), including 4.5 million CYP of condoms and 10.1 million CYP of oral, injectable, and long-term contraceptives. These figures included 540 million condoms, 28 million cycles of OCP, 20 million injectable contraceptives, 417,000 IUDs and 381,000 implant contraceptives.
DKT/E regularly accounts for approximately one-third of CYP in the country. In January 2013, DKT/E reached an important milestone, distributing its one billionth condom in Ethiopia.
