DKT International


DKT International is a charitable non-profit organization that promotes family planning and HIV prevention through social marketing. The Washington, D.C.-based DKT was founded in 1989 by Phil Harvey and operates in 57 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its revenue largely comes from sales of low-cost contraceptives. In 2019, DKT sold over 805 million condoms, 93 million cycles of oral contraceptives, 30 million injectable contraceptives and 3.6 million intrauterine devices, among other products. This is equivalent to 47.8 million couple years of protection, making DKT one of the largest private providers of contraceptives in the developing world. The average cost per CYP was US$1.57. DKT's marketing strategies have included advertising, creating location-specific brands, working with social networks and militaries, and targeting high-risk groups. DKT also works with health workers and clinics that provide family planning products, information, and services. Charity Navigator has given DKT a four-star rating for its finances, with 98.4% of its budget going towards programs and 1.6% towards headquarters expenses and fund raising in 2018.

History

became interested in family planning in 1968 while working on emergency food relief for CARE International in India. In 1970, he and his fellow UNC student Tim Black founded the business Adam & Eve in order to finance their charitable activities, and also founded the non-profit health organization Population Services International that same year. DKT International, named for D.K. Tyagi, an early pioneer of family planning in India, was founded in 1989. DKT has grown rapidly over the years; its revenue from selling contraceptives increased from US$4.5 million in 1996 to $143.2 million in 2018, and its couple years of protection increased from 5.7 million in 2002 to more than 47.8 million in 2019.
In 2006, DKT International refused to take the U.S. government's anti-prostitution pledge, feeling the pledge would interfere with its HIV/AIDS services worldwide. DKT challenged the pledge as a violation of First Amendment rights, with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union. Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled in favor of DKT in the District Court for the District of Columbia on 18 May 2006, but the D. C. Court of Appeals reversed the decision on 27 February 2007.
In 2013, a different organization successfully challenged the pledge before the U.S. Supreme Court in Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, Inc.

Organization

On 31 December 2013, Phil Harvey stepped down as president after 24 years, replaced by Christopher Purdy. Its board includes Robert Ciszewski, Carlos Garcia, Christopher Purdy, Matthew Reeves, Julie Stewart and Harvey, who also serves as chair of the board.
In 2018, 71.5% of DKT's revenue was from contraceptive sales and related services, 27.3% from grants and contracts and 10.5% from other income. 54.5% of expenses were related to program costs, 36.3% to contraceptive costs, 1.4% to headquarters, 0.2% to fundraising and 7.6% to other expenses. Revenue from contraceptive sales first exceeded donor support in 2005.
For its first 26 years, DKT established stand-alone programs in each country and focused on countries with large markets, such as Ethiopia, Brazil and the Philippines. Eventually, though, DKT managers saw the benefits of a regional approach that can serve the reproductive health needs of multiple countries, including smaller ones. Therefore, DKT established its first regional program in French-speaking West and Central Africa in 2015. Since then, DKT has established six other regional platforms with two or more countries. These programs require fewer financial resources per country, and leverages the common language, culture and regulatory environment of the region.
In 2017, DKT launched , a marketing and distribution platform to advance DKT’s mission of providing people around the world with reproductive health options. In close partnership with manufacturers, DKT WomanCare provides global integrated supply chain and marketing support. It sells a range of to multilateral bodies, ministries of health, commercial entities, and social marketing and family planning organizations and supports product launches and sales with world class marketing and .
In 2019, DKT WomanCare sold 222,123 manual vacuum aspiration kits, 1.8 million cannulae and 1.4 million implants in 90 countries, producing 1.5 million couple years of protection.

Donors

As of 2020, DKT International's donors include: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, U.K. Department for International Development, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Embassy of Sweden, Erik and Edith Bergstrom Foundation, Gates Philanthropy Partners, Government of Germany, Government of India, Government of Sweden, National Philanthropic Trust, National Postcode Lottery, Swedish International Development Agency, United Nations Office for Project Services, United Nations Population Fund, WestWind Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and anonymous donors.

Programs

As of 2020, DKT International had 23 programs with sales in 57 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Some platforms serve more than one country.
ProgramGeographical areaYear created2019 CYPsAdditional info
Brazil and South AmericaLatin America19902,123,703
ChinaAsia1996140,480
Democratic Republic of CongoAfrica20092,303,597
DKT WomanCareGlobal20171,486,020
Egypt, Middle East and North AfricaAfrica/Asia20041,947,247
EthiopiaAfrica19903,060,343
Francophone West and Central AfricaAfrica20151,054,402
Africa2011692,114
India - Bihar Asia19964,503,929
India - MumbaiAsia19926,039,121
IndonesiaAsia19969,492,867
Kenya and UgandaAfrica2016342,633
Mexico, Central America and CaribbeanLatin America20031,344,672
MozambiqueAfrica2009407,305
MyanmarAsia2014670,796
NigeriaAfrica20123,688,719
PakistanAsia20123,315,547
PhilippinesAsia19902,506,244
TanzaniaAfrica2013333,441
ThailandAsia200956,284
TurkeyAsia2008463,101
VietnamAsia19931,565,725