WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In light of International Youth Day on August 12th, DKT International, one of the largest providers of sexual and reproductive health products and services in the developing world, shares its recent global initiatives targeting youth to improve overall awareness and usage of family planning. To reduce misinformation, encourage healthy decision-making and reinforce positive attitudes pertaining to family planning, DKT educates health professionals on local reproductive health laws, promotes products with peer-to-peer outreach and media programming, and leverages social media platforms to provide important information and resources.
“Around the world and especially in developing nations, many young people are neither enrolled in educational programs nor attend institutions that provide sexual education. Investing in marketing and programming that attracts young adults is vital as it gives them the opportunity to define their reproductive futures,” says Chris Purdy, CEO of DKT International.
“In DKT’s social marketing campaigns aimed at youth, we utilize specific messaging to ensure youth feel seen, heard, and supported in their sexual and reproductive lives. Transparency surrounding the discussion of condoms, birth control, STI testing, HIV, pregnancy, and more is key.”
Outreach, education, and youth-centered programming in the 90 countries DKT serves is exemplified in the handful of recent examples below:
- In the Philippines, DKT recently partnered with the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) Task Force for Family Planning and conducted a webinar which reached almost 600 OB/GYNs nationwide discussing reproductive health law, specifically regarding provisions on teenagers’ access to family planning. Additionally, DKT brands, PREMIERE Condoms and EZ Lubricating Jelly sponsored this year’s edition of the annual Pride Month campaign, in an effort to communicate directly with the LGBTQ+ community and especially the youth demographic. The online event entitled, "#PrideStartsWithU” was organized by Loveyourself, a volunteer community that provides HIV testing, counseling, and treatment for the LGBTQ+ community, with a focus on youth reach and educating on STIs, HIV, sexuality and gender.
- In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), DKT started recurrent field promotional activities for one of their newest contraceptive brands in the region, CHIC Condoms, by training youth ambassadors to generate interest through gaming and goodies. This activity allowed youth ambassadors to sell 6,500 pieces (130 boxes of 50 condoms) in three days in the capital city of Kinshasa. Additionally, DKT conducted client research in the port city of Matadi to evaluate drugstore operators’ level of knowledge, quality of information, and level of “youth friendliness” when assisting a young client. Key to the operation, DKT utilized their youth ambassadors who acted as clients visiting drugstores and asking questions, such as what products to use after sex, how to use the emergency pill or the oral contraceptive pill, etc.
- In Indonesia, DKT hosted a webinar for midwives throughout the spring and summer. The webinar aimed to educate millennial midwives and commemorate Hari Bidan Nasional (National Midwives Day). Additionally, DKT Indonesia promoted their youth program, Berani Berencana on social media, garnering over 4 million impressions.
- In Brazil, DKT continued to grow the presence of their contraception brand, Prudence, in Gen Z and Gen Y audiences through their ‘Primeiro Prudence’ campaign on MTV Brasil’s “DE FÉRIAS COM O EX – BRASIL." The popular condom brand sponsored parties and games for the reality show participants with four episodes containing brand installations/sponsorships.
- In Anglophone West Africa (AWA), nearly 200 students attended a DKT event in Montserrado county where a Sex Ed lecture and Q&A was accompanied by a spelling bee, a quizzing competition, and a premier of contraception videos. Additionally, the DKT brand, Lydia Post Pill, a “morning after pill,” was promoted via radio jingles on youth music stations.
“By reaching youth with messaging they can relate to and contraceptive options that best fit their various lifestyles, we are able to integrate sexual and reproductive health best practices into this important demographic’s lives,” adds Purdy. “Moreover, information and contraceptive products give youth the ability to control if and when they want to have children – a truly life-changing and empowering decision.”
Since 1989, DKT International’s core mission has been to provide safe and affordable options for family planning and HIV prevention through social marketing in underserved countries throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
