January Newsletter

Dear Friend of DKT,

Happy New Year.??

We’re still crunching our December sales numbers and will share these with you as soon as we can. By all accounts, it appears that we had another record-breaking year. We are grateful to all our teams in the field and our supporters for helping to make this happen and for making a difference in the reproductive lives of people everywhere.

I am also pleased to share a new analysis we released this week: Contraceptive Use: Estimating DKT’s Contribution in Key Countries. This effort was a collaboration with researchers at the William H. Gates, Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, led by Dr. Ian Salas. The report, available on our website, analyzes DKT’s estimated contribution to total contraceptive use in a handful of countries. Results showcase DKT’s substantial impact in providing products and services to more than 40% of contraceptive users in Nigeria, over 30% in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and 25% in Ethiopia.?

One of DKT’s goals for 2024 is to conduct more research and provide additional analysis and thought-leadership to the field, providing our partners with quantifiable, data-driven results to support decision-making and further investments in reproductive and sexual health, our initiatives and the global work at hand. DKT’s present, future, and historical knowledge base will be available in our “DKT Library,” as part of our new and expanded website, which is expected to launch in the second quarter of this year.?

Much more is planned for 2024. Our 2023 results are forthcoming next month and we continue to expand our product and outreach work. Again, thank you for all your support, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or ideas to share with our teams.

We wish everyone a healthy, productive and peaceful 2024.

Cheers,

Chris Purdy, President, DKT International

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Analysis shows DKT’s ‘substantial’ impact increasing contraceptive use upon entering new markets

Using Track 20 and FP2030 data, researchers from The William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health compared the number of additional clients served by DKT each year against the number of additional contraceptive users overall from the same baseline year, estimating the organization’s role in providing global, SRH products and services across several key countries. In Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), DKT is responsible for a substantial portion of contraceptive market growth. In countries like Nigeria, DKT’s contribution to additional users has been greater than the total number of additional users, suggesting that DKT programs have both grown the market and that an increased share of the market is turning towards DKT for consistent contraceptive supply.

The table below reflects the estimated number of additional clients served by DKT up to 2022, the total estimated additional contraceptive users, and the percentage of contraceptive users served by DKT.?

Read and download the full report here.??

Can’t stop, won’t stop: DKT Myanmar keeps training despite challenges

Financial and political instability made doing business in Myanmar especially challenging in 2023, but DKT’s team in the country persevered, finding new and creative ways to reach providers, despite the barriers. Recently, teams provided skill-based training in collaboration with the Sun Community Health (SCH) NGO, which has been dispensing DKT’s Lydia-branded female contraceptives to their provider network for the past six months. Teams also supported the SCH team with a budget to train their doctors in contraceptive technology, consolidating training to three key locations: Yangon, Mandalay, and Myitkyina.?

The training was a blend of theoretical lectures, observations and hands-on experience under the supervision of an obstetrician. Theoretical sessions took place online via Zoom. The DKT Myanmar team trained 65 doctors on implants and sexual and reproductive health counseling over two online sessions. Small group observations and hands-on sessions with real clients bolstered the confidence of doctors to use their newly-acquired skills. Additional training with the SCH network is planned in 2024.?

An estimated 60 percent of Mozambican pharmacists trained by DKT in 2023?

DKT Mozambique concluded its pharmacist-focused training, reaching every single Mozambican province by November of this year. Teams completed a total of 12 training sessions in 11 different provinces with the support of a Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)/Catalytic Opportunity Fund (COF) grant, DKT Mozambique was able to train 589 individuals on the use of mifepristone + misoprostol combipacks and post-abortion family planning options, completing one training in each province.

Leveraging Technology for Self Care

Amazon partnership in Egypt expands access to DKT products; “augmented reality” app developed to connect and educate users

DKT Egypt spent the last months of 2023 putting the final touches on its Fiesta augmented reality (AR) app, launching on both iOS and Google Play app stores this month. The campaign bridges the gap between education and entertainment, offering users new tools to learn about safe sex practices and explore Fiesta products. The Fiesta AR app features interactive elements, games, and quizzes–all brought to life through interaction with the app. The initiative aims to foster a sense of community through user-generated content sharing and social features, while educating and empowering users to make informed choices about their sexual health and encourage sex-positivity. Teams anticipate that the AR experience will drive increased brand awareness, contributing to growth in the coming months.

The team in Egypt has also developed a new website targeting couples throughout the Middle East region featuring the integration of an Amazon storefront tailored to the tastes of Egyptian consumers. Teams in Indonesia and India also utilize Amazon and other, regional online marketplaces to sell and promote DKT’s products. DKT’s online marketplace in the Middle East provides a convenient and secure buying experience, encouraging viewers to translate their engagement on the site with a direct purchase. Sofia Hanna, DKT’s Country Manager in Egypt said the goal is to create a thriving online community where laughter, understanding, and shared experiences take center stage.

Focus groups and surveys help DKT teams in Mozambique, Francophone West Africa improve their call centers??

Using contraception is not always an intuitive process, which is why DKT operates call centers throughout many of its country programs to support new and established users of our products. Call centers connect users with providers, products and support. In Mozambique and Francophone West Africa (DKT FWACA), DKT’s call centers are especially popular and caller satisfaction has been very high.

A recent survey in the FWACA region revealed that 95% of clients were satisfied with their call center experience. To ensure feedback results are wholly accurate, DKT FWACA adjusted their methodology to get more critical feedback, adding mystery clients to evaluate the quality of the interactions between call center attendants and their clients. Focus groups were composed of former and current call center clients, including women from Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Benin. All those surveyed were very positive in their response, stating it was the first time they had been given the option to ask any questions they might have about their call center experience.?

In Mozambique, teams routinely gather demographic and other, detailed user data to assess the effectiveness of their hotlines, even taking a customer-focused approach to surveying users about their likelihood to recommend the hotline, and use it in the future.?

To learn more about DKT’s programming in Mozambique and Francophone West Africa, please contact Stephanie Gallagher, our Director of Global Programs and Development at [email protected].

New campaign in the Philippines makes a bold claim: DKT’s TRUST brand is the #1 contraceptive brand choice in the country

DKT launched its TRUST contraceptives brand campaign with a new video, demonstrating why it is the number one brand selling a full line of contraceptive products in the Philippines. Using the tagline ‘Mas tinatangkilik, mas pinipili ng Pilipino’ (Used by more Filipinos, chosen by more Filipinos), the campaign highlights DKT’s 30-year presence in the country and positions TRUST Reproductive Health Choices as a trusted, long-standing brand in the country. By mid-December, the video had generated 5.6 million total views.

2023 was a record-breaking year for condom sales in Mozambique

Condom sales in Mozambique were hugely popular this past year thanks to several ads and campaigns launched by DKT Mozambique. Our teams sold nearly 9 million condoms and exceeded their targets by 18%, hitting +38% versus the previous year’s sales–beating their previous record.

DKT Mozambique sells both Fiesta and Prudence-branded condoms. To promote both brands, they routinely sponsor concerts with “pop-up” clinics to educate and amplify awareness about contraception and DKT’s services in Mozambique. In December, they sponsored concerts for the Prudence campaign “E Bem Bom” in the two biggest cities: Maputo and Beria.

Watch a video of the event here.?

Meet The Teams and Learn about DKT

Watch our most recent "Meet The Team" videos, from our offices in Myanmar and East Africa. Learn about the work being done by DKT International in our new video.

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