Dear Friend of DKT,
We hope that you and your families are safe at this remarkable time.
DKT continues to operate and work hard to navigate the challenges and uncertainties brought about by COVID-19. We know that the millions of women and men who count on DKT for products, services, and technology do not put their reproductive health lives on pause. Couples are still having sex and need contraception. Women are still seeking out safe abortion services. And courageous health providers understand that we are counting on them to continue to provide services.
COVID-19 has brought additional challenges to ensure contraceptives are available and accessible. Below, please read our article on the supply chain pressures we are facing globally. We are deeply concerned that if these issues are not addressed quickly, there will be serious shortages of products in the months that ensue.
At the same time, disruption breeds innovation. DKT continues to find ways to meet the needs of women and men. We are conducting health provider training in Liberia using physical distancing, educating consumers about COVID-19 by leveraging our condom brands, and offering telemedicine for abortion care. Across the globe, DKT is finding ways to keep our focus on increasing access to contraception and safe abortion even while we ‘work from home’.
We
will
get through this.
Christopher Purdy
PS – please take a minute to review our 2020 Annual Report. Here is the link -
Annual Report
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DKT's 2020 Annual Report
DKT has published our
2020 Annual Report
. Among other things, we profile DKT sales representative Gaylor Barner, who works to ensure that reproductive health products are made available wherever and whenever people need them in Liberia.
The Annual Report covers our impact in 2019, where DKT generated 47.8 million CYPs, averted approximately 7.8 million unintended pregnancies, 10 million unsafe abortions, and 35,000 maternal deaths.
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COVID-19 is disrupting the global supply chain and threatening access to reproductive health products. This issue was highlighted in a
Devex article
written by DKT President Chris Purdy. On March 27, Chris repeated these challenges in a
panel discussion
hosted by Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM). If not addressed, these challenges will result in stock shortages and gaps.
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This
recent article in Inverse also highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a global shortage of condoms because of the freezing of manufacturing and shipping of products.
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One of the world's largest condom producers, Karex (pictured above), is suffering from Covid-19 related shutdown
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DKT holds training in Liberia in the age of social distancing
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DKT continues to hold training sessions, ensuring that participants can sit far enough apart to avoid spreading COVID-19. Finding innovative ways to continue our work is an important step in ensuring our work does not completely stop during COVID-19, as demand still exists for sexual and reproductive health products and services.
(Pictured left) In Pleebo City and Grand Gedeh, this training was the third day of a post-abortion care and Long-Acting and Reversible Contraception training for health providers.
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Working from home at DKT International
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DKT has taken steps across our 30 odd country offices to ensure we are staying safe in the time of this pandemic. DKT Myanmar recently posted this image with #WorkFromHome with a message about ensuring the health and safety of their staff.
DKT is leveraging technology around the world to keep our programs running and consumers informed.
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DKT International as a source of quality information on COVID-19
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DKT Nigeria is also working to be a source of information on how to respond to COVID-19. They post pictures like this one (right) that describes to followers how they can avoid the virus.
DKT Indonesia posted on LinkedIn to remind followers that DKT Indonesia provided 40% of the family planning products in the country, and how in the face of COVID-19 we will continue to provide low-cost contraceptives for all who need them.
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DKT Ghana has been using social media to provide information to those in Anglophone West Africa, with posts like this one (pictured left) for Fiesta Condoms telling people the best practices to fight Coronavirus.
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CNN recently published an article
about the ways in which COVID-19 is disrupting women’s access to abortion services. The U.K. Government caused confusion last week when they initially declared that women could use medical abortion products at home, but then quickly reversed that decision, and then reversed their reversal to allow in-home abortions. Abortion has also been politicized in the USA as some states try to declare abortion care as a non-essential procedure.
DKT International has responded to this with multiple strategies. Carafem is participating in a pilot program to provide
TelAbortion
, where women are provided with medical abortion by mail if they live in Georgia, Illinois, or Maryland. DKT WomanCare published a
call to action
on their website outlining how the Ipas MVA could be used to transition many abortion services to outpatient facilities where risk of COVID-19 transmission is very low. They also list out some steps to continue the important work of abortion care while ensuring medical staff and clients safe from COVID-19, such as maximizing remote interactions, disinfecting surfaces, discussing post-abortion contraceptives, and being aware of the time sensitive nature of this work. In other countries, DKT is working to increase access to the abortion pill at a time when in-clinic services are being reduced.
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Join others in donating to DKT International to make positive change. In 2019, DKT’s generated 47.8 million CYPs, making DKT one of the largest providers of contraceptives and safe abortion products, services and technology in the world. D
onations to DKT are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. You can donate by clicking the button below, or by sending a check to:
President
1001 Connecticut Ave, NW
Suite 800
Washington, D.C.
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