April/May 2024 newsletter
Dear Friend of DKT,
This month, we share some exciting developments from both our affiliates and global teams, which continue to broaden access to quality contraceptive and safe abortion products in the 100+ markets we serve.
Our biggest news of the month is from our US-based affiliate organization, carafem, which expanded into New York state at the end of April with a launch suited for the City That Never Sleeps. DKT Philippines also introduced free and low-cost mobile clinics, and we marked the first sales of several DKT products in new markets: Cambodia, Burundi, and Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, those sales included mifepristone. There were also new ads and multiple training sessions around the world with providers to support safe abortion and compassionate contraceptive care.?
Conflict around the world has affected DKT’s operations in the first quarter of 2024, but we continue providing SRH services in challenging markets despite the barriers these conflicts present. In this newsletter, we share the story of Sanam Rahmani, a community midwife in Afghanistan who runs a clinic out of her home, and an update from Myanmar, where our team is pushing forward with programmatic efforts even with conflict present in regions outside Yangon.?
As always, thank you for your support. If you missed the release of our Annual Report earlier this week, you can find it here and a summary below. We are also happy to send along a printed copy upon request.
Cheers,
Chris Purdy
President
carafem “Goes Big” in the Big Apple
US-based abortion provider carafem expanded into New York state this past month with an epic display of billboards and fanfare in New York City’s Times Square. carafem now offers high-quality abortion care in-person and online in 18 states.?
The organization’s unapologetic style and messaging was on display during the April 24 launch, with a 30-foot billboard stating “This is an ad for abortion.” The bold message of the ads was developed to meet the organization’s deep belief that abortion should be advertised just like any other form of health care – without shame or judgment.?
“We are proud to launch abortion care in New York,” said carafem co-founder and COO Melissa Grant. “We’re shouting from the rooftops and using the word “abortion” in a large-scale ad because abortion is a valid, normal, and necessary part of health care. We believe when you are talking about abortion you should use the word abortion. We are unapologetically doing so in one of the biggest ways possible.”
“As we expand into New York state, we hope our message continues to resonate across our country. Abortion care is health care and is universally needed by people of all backgrounds and across all states. While carafem is pleased to be able to expand into supportive states like New York, we see those who are losing access to abortion care in their own communities. We will continue to spread the awareness that abortion using medications is safe, supportive, private, and affordable,” Grant said.
To learn more about carafem’s services in New York and around the United States, visit their website.?
Free and low-cost family planning mobile clinics make their inaugural journey in the Philippines
DKT Philippines launched the SODEX Mobile Clinic this month – the first family planning ambulatory clinic in the country set to serve last-mile delivery of DKT’s portfolio of sexual and reproductive health products. The goal of the initiative, said DKT’s Country Director Denise Van Dijk, is to make all of DKT’s product options even more accessible for those in remote and vulnerable areas.?
The DKT Philippines Foundation is working with 30 local government units (LGUs) in Luzon to foster sustainable and long-term partnerships and contribute to government efforts to achieve universal health coverage for all.
A more lengthy article featuring the launch can be found here and subscribe to our newsletter to read more about this initiative.
Robust sales in DKT’s newest markets: Nicaragua, Cambodia and Burundi
We are pleased to report that DKT has entered the Nicaraguan market and recorded its first sales of mifepristone in April. DKT Latin America North (LATAM) is also selling condoms, IUDs, and manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) kits in the country.
In Burundi, condom sales were robust in March and brand recognition is building via a slew of social media posts since the beginning of the year. The team marked its entrance into the country with an inauguration attended by local dignitaries and stakeholders and a celebration with music and giveaways.
DKT Mekong reported its first sales of oral contraceptive pills (OCs), emergency contraceptive pills (ECs), and Fiesta condoms in Cambodia last quarter. DKT Mekong Regional Manager Rodrigo Portugues said there is a small team in the country who have been out and about introducing DKT’s brands to retailers and initial feedback is positive.
The DKT Mekong, Latin America North, and Central Africa regions have grown exponentially in the past few years and we look forward to reporting more growth in both of these regions in the coming months.
Preview results from DKT Mekong here and learn more about DKT Central Africa via this video.?
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A community midwife in Afghanistan serves clients from her home, receives training from DKT?
For the past six years, community midwife Sanam Rahmani has been running a makeshift clinic out of her home in Afghanistan’s northernmost city, Mazar-i-Sharif.
Rahmani provides pre- and post-natal care, contraceptive counseling, and other services to her clients, seeing between 100 to 130 patients per month, many who come from rural areas surrounding the city. Her work helps support her family and is made possible under Taliban rule because she has her husband’s permission to maintain the clinic out of their home.??
Rahmani attended the DKT Afghanistan-sponsored 3-day training "Family Planning Care and Counseling Training Course," which covered birth spacing, contraceptive counseling, Modern Methods (LARCs); and clinic management. The clinic management course covered health management information systems and reporting, including quality and client servicing.?
To read more about Rahmani subscribe to our newsletter. For more information about the work of DKT Afghanistan, please contact Country Manager Fawad Jokhio at [email protected].
Conflict surrounds, but DKT Myanmar ramps up trainings and partnerships??
Many of Myanmar’s doctors and health providers have left the country in the past few years due to conflict and political instability, but DKT Myanmar has maintained strong relationships with the provider community that has stayed behind. In March, the team organized a series of five “Lydia Round Table” sessions, bringing together 137 providers and selling IUDs, implants, and manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) kits. They have also begun developing an advocacy network of family planning and post-abortion care “champions” from the private sector to endorse DKT’s clinical interventions.?
We commend both DKT Afghanistan and DKT Myanmar, as well as our provider partners around the world. Their resilience and steadfast commitment to serve their communities during these turbulent times keeps us inspired, despite the many barriers faced.?
For more information on how to support DKT’s initiatives in conflict settings, contact Stephanie Gallagher, our Director of Programs and Development at [email protected].
DKT Releases our 2024 Annual Report, with Nigeria in the Spotlight
We are proud to share this year’s report with our friends and partners.
In 2023, DKT continued its mission to deliver significant reproductive health benefits globally, reaching over 100 countries and generating more than 64.1 million Couple Years of Protection (CYPs).?
We trained an estimated 468,000 providers, ensuring that doctors, midwives, nurses, and pharmacists have the knowledge they need to provide high-quality, contraceptive, and safe abortion care to patients.
In this year’s report, we feature our work in Nigeria, where an estimated 2 of every 5 contraceptive users depended upon DKT’s products or services for their sexual and reproductive health needs.
“Crowding In” the market in Francophone West Africa: A case study
DKT International French West and Central Africa (FWACA) diversified the emergency contraception (ECs) market in several West African countries and consequently helped expand product lines and bring the cost of ECs in the region down from $6 in 2018 to $1.60 in 2023.?
Take a deeper dive into how our team in FWACA achieved this effort to "Crowd In" the market by reading our latest White Paper, "Shaping the Emergency Contraception Market in Francophone West and Central Africa (an Update). The paper is now available in both English and French.
Teams in Indonesia seek to “reignite passion” with new ads; India puts a new spin on OCs?
Whether you are in a new relationship, or married for many years, sexual passion and the need to be desired is universal. DKT Indonesia tapped into the innate need of its clients last month with the launch of its “Nyalakan Kemesraan” campaign, or “Reignite Intimacy.”
DKT India also released a new take on its Choice-branded oral contraception pills, encouraging women to support one another when it comes to determining their own reproductive futures. Three videos were produced for social media to promote the medical and societal benefits of OCs.?
View DKT India’s new videos here: Amongst friends; Family pressure; Iron-deficiency anemia.
Business and Strategic Management Professional
6 个月Thank you Comms Team for citing a committed midwife from Afghanistan. ????