NGO initiates public education on sexual, reproductive health
An initiative that will make information on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies readily available to the public has been launched.
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The initiative dubbed, “Kiss on the Ride”, will also ensure that condoms are made more accessible and affordable to the public.
DKT Ghana, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) that launched the project, would locate a total of 50 taxis in Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi that have been branded in Kiss condoms, to raise the awareness of the product and the need to live healthy lifestyles under a three-month pilot period.
The taxi drivers would on request from a passenger, make the condoms available to him or her at a price of GH¢1.50.
Convenience
At the launch of the initiative at the Trade Fair Taxi Station in Accra, the Marketing Manager of DKT Ghana, Ms Kelly De-Vries Adosu, said as a social marketing organisation, one of her outfit’s principal goals was to ensure that family planning services, especially condoms, were available at all times and at affordable prices when the consumer needed them.
Asked why the company used the services of taxi drivers to sell the product instead of the traditional outlets, Ms Adosu said most people were comfortable talking about their sexual life with their peers rather than visiting traditional outlets such as the pharmacy and accredited outlets to purchase condoms.
“This, therefore, provides them with choices and an environment that would make them comfortable to address and talk about anything related to their sexual lives,” she said.
However, she said “in as much as we are using the taxi drivers for our campaign, we also want the passengers to feel comfortable and so information would be on ‘the need to know’ basis”.
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Laudable initiative
Some passengers who were around for the launch lauded the initiative, describing it as a convenient step towards improving their sexual and reproductive health.
The taxi drivers also expressed their admiration for the initiative and pledged to do their best to educate the public on their sexual and reproductive health.