Advancing Social Marketing for Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Programmatic Quarterly Report Q3 FY11

The program is implemented by Population Services International (PSI) in partnership with the Association de Santé Familiale (ASF) and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program's goal is to expand and build upon the achievements of previous social marketing programs in the DRC by increasing the use of effective health products, services, and behaviors in the areas of HIV/AIDS/STI, family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), maternal and child health (MCH), and water and sanitation. The program has four main objectives: to increase the supply and diversity of health products and services, to increase awareness of and demand for health products and services, to develop and/or enhance the ability of commercial/private sector entities to socially market health products and services, and to integrate service delivery and other activities at national, provincial, district, facility, and community levels. Key successes during the quarter include the distribution of 10,917,354 male condoms and 51,200 female condoms, as well as the distribution of 43,617 contraceptive cycles, 39,557 injectables, 1,589 IUDs, 4,142 Cycle Beads, and 433 Jadelle implants to women of reproductive age. The program's activities are focused on increasing the supply and diversity of health products and services, particularly in rural areas. The sales team continued to create retail points of sale, and rural health zones were visited in the two Kasaïs, Katanga, and Sud-Kivu. An order for promotional materials for use in rural areas was placed, and the distribution of male condoms and female condoms was increased. The Confiance network expansion in the provinces of Kinshasa, Katanga, Bas-Congo, Sud-Kivu, and both Kasaïs resulted in the inclusion of 25 new clinics and 97 pharmacies in the program's activities. The program's supervision and monitoring activities were also conducted during the quarter, with satisfactory national supervisions taking place in Katanga, Bas-Congo, Sud-Kivu, and both Kasaïs. The integration process of the Jadelle implant in the clinics' distribution was also initiated during the quarter. The program's inventory on hand at the end of June 2011 included 19,026,303 male condoms and 934,200 female condoms. The program's distribution of health products and services was also increased during the quarter, with 28,158 Couple Years of Protection (CYPs) generated by the FP products distribution. The distribution of Clean Delivery Kits was also increased, with 2,522 kits distributed. The program's water treatment activities also increased, with 691,754 sachets of PUR and 1,225,832 tablets of Aquatabs distributed to treat 31,434,180 liters of water. The program's next quarter's activities will focus on increasing the supply and diversity of health products and services, particularly in rural areas. The sales team will continue to create retail points of sale, and rural health zones will be visited in the two Kasaïs, Katanga, and Sud-Kivu. The Confiance network expansion will continue, and the integration process of the Jadelle implant in the clinics' distribution will be completed. The program's supervision and monitoring activities will also continue, with national supervisions taking place in Province Orientale and Equateur provinces.