Francine Gasigwa

DKT International

Since 1989, DKT International, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., has been promoting family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention through social marketing in the developing world. Today, DKT International sells products and provides services in nearly 60 countries. We believe that family planning is key to healthier men, women, and communities, but choice is key to empowerment. DKT enables women and men to take control of their reproductive destinies by boosting decision-making power through educational campaigns, increasing family planning product options, and securing products in easy-to-access outlets at affordable prices. Choice is integral to our mission, and innovation is the foundation of our work. With nearly 3,000 employees worldwide, DKT carries out its work through four approaches, each a testament to DKT's expanding impact and flexibility within changing markets and evolving technologies. 1.) DKT's classic social marketing model leverages the private sector to distribute products and targets family planning education to every sect of society, from young women to healthcare providers, often the gatekeepers to contraception. 2.) DKT sells products regionally, building brands and transnational trust. 3.) In 2016, DKT acquired WomanCare Global, enhancing our ability to sell high-quality sage abortion products through existing networks. Lastly, 4.) DKT designs online resources to reach people outside our institutional programs. In 2019, DKT delivered more than 47.8 million couple years of protection (CYPs), making DKT one of the largest private providers of family planning in the world. DKT's sales totals for 2019 included 805 million condoms, 92 million oral contraceptives, 30 million injectables, 3.5 million IUDs, and more than 25 million safe abortion products, like misoprostol and manual vacuum aspiration kits. DKT's 2019 sales averted 35 thousand maternal deaths, 10 million unsafe abortions, and 7.8 million unintended pregnancies.