DKT International is a registered, non-profit organisation founded in 1989 to focus the power of social marketing on some of the largest countries with the greatest needs for family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and safe abortion. By doing so, DKT has achieved tremendous health impact, and done it cost-efficiently. Although we work mostly in the private sector, we also support the public sector, often partnering with government health facilities to reach the total market.
Scale: DKT is one of the largest private providers of family planning products in the world, having generated over 44.6 million couple years of protection (CYPs) in 2018. Five of the ten largest contraceptive social marketing programs in the world are DKT programs. As of 2018, DKT has offices in 24 countries, with a sales presence in 60 countries.
Business-oriented NGO: DKT is an NGO that thinks like a business: We use business skills to address social ills, namely maternal and child mortality and HIV/AIDS. We create brands of contraceptives and other health products to advertise and sell as consumer goods. We have found that this approach inspires more people to use contraception, as many people prefer to access these services through the private sector.
Significant cost-recovery: We recover a significant portion of our expenses through sales: Revenue from products and services covers approximately 70% of our operating costs. This insulates us from changing political climates and donor funding priorities, and gives us increased autonomy. Each year, our donor cost per CYP hovers around the $2.00 mark. This low cost per CYP is made possible through our most sustainable programs — including Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and the Philippines — as well as our low overhead costs.
Focus on transparency: We are relentlessly transparent, both in our results and finances. At the bottom of every page on this website, you will find a link to “Commitment to Transparency” and “Financial Statements.” We have a page on “Results” on this website (find it under “Resources”). Check us out and let us know at info@dktinternational.org if you have questions or ideas on how we can be more transparent.