DKT International Advances the Goals of World Contraception Day, Every Day

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DKT International is proud to share in the goals of World Contraception Day, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), are: (1) to acknowledge that "access to preferred contraceptive methods for women and couples – is essential to securing the well-being and autonomy of women, while supporting the health and development of communities"; (2) to allow women "to choose whether, when, and how many children to have"; and (3) to help "break the cycle of poverty, and put families, communities, and countries on a stronger, more prosperous and sustainable path."

"We partner with the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers to increase access to the latest contraceptive technology available today," says Christopher Purdy, President and CEO of DKT International. "Through the DKT WomanCare unit, our global reproductive health marketing and product distribution platform, we are able to provide products to DKT's own country-based programs. And through our multi-lateral, governmental, commercial, and NGO partners, we are increasing the number of public and private health providers who can access and utilize a wide range of contraceptives and reproductive health technologies. By building these sustainable and resilient supply chains with our partners, we can prevent stock outs, expand the number of countries where products are sold, increase the capacity of trained health providers to deliver services, and support and enable a service provision environment."

Examples of DKT's many partnerships to increase access to contraceptives include the following:

• DKT partners with Shanghai Dahua Pharmaceutical to provide Levoplant, a WHO-Prequalified contraceptive implant. Through social marketing efforts, educational campaigns and mobilizing their global network of doctors, midwives, and medical providers to provide and counsel women on the benefits of Levoplant, DKT dramatically increases the availability, accessibility, and affordability of this contraceptive. The price of Levoplant in FP2020 countries (69 countries with the greatest need for family planning) has been reduced to $6.90 per unit.
• DKT's partnership with Ipas expands access in more than 100 countries around the world to the Manual Vacuum Aspirator (MVA), the world's most utilized, safe and effective surgical abortion technology, which can also be used to manage post-partum hemorrhaging, early pregnancy loss, and endometrial biopsy.
• DKT Tanzania (DKTT) and UNFPA are collaborating to increase family planning utilization among Tanzanian youth by expanding access to DKTT's iPlan program.  iPlan is an innovative micro-insurance structure where, for a one-time nominal fee, an individual receives comprehensive sexual reproductive health services for one year. Services include four FP counseling sessions, a year's worth of any contraceptive method, a years' worth of condoms, and quarterly HIV/AIDS counselling and testing delivered through DKTT's Trust clinics.

DKT's innovative, country-specific activities continue to find new ways to reach youth and promote the use of family planning:

• DKT Brazil participated in the Expo CIEE São Paulo, the largest student fair in Latin America to educate young people about all types of contraceptives to help avoid unwanted pregnancies and STI's.
• In China, DKT has been selling condoms throughout China since 1996, and Mojo the condom mascot made an appearance on the Great Wall this year.
• In DR Congo, DKT aired a TV commercial for Aleze oral contraceptive pills (OCP) featuring a mother who offers her daughter some advice on family planning – and a pack of Aleze OCPs – before a night out.
• As part of DKT Egypt's regional expansion, DKT provided 29,000 IUDs in Saudi Arabia and Syria, commencing expansion plans in the Middle East and North Africa.
• In Ghana, DKT launched a new Lydia Contraceptive campaign highlighting the benefits of each Lydia method using phrases such as "a pill a day goes a long way" and "take back control today."
• In Nigeria, in 2014, DKT co-launched Sayana Press (a new 3-month injectable contraceptive) with Pfizer. Using today's technology, DKT Nigeria even now offers a text message reminder service to notify Sayana Press users of their upcoming dose.
• In West/Central Africa, DKT began marketing "Préservatifs Kiss," the first truly regional youth condom brand, with everything from product design to colors, packaging and media campaigns guided by young people.

Founded in 1989, DKT International, a registered, non-profit organization, is one of the largest private providers of family planning products and services in the developing world focusing the power of social marketing on some of the largest countries with the greatest needs for family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and safe abortion. In 2017 DKT helped avert an estimated 7.6 million unintended pregnancies, 4.6 million unsafe abortions, 14,600 maternal deaths, and 54,000 child deaths.

SOURCE DKT International