Stories of Impact
Sobha goes door-to-door promoting Surya health clinics and their services.
Sobha Kumari, a Surya Health Promoter in Bihar, India
As a community-based Surya health promoter in northern India, Sobha is a part of Janani’s expansive Surya Clinic Network. Surya clinics provide high-quality SRH services to women and men in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. When she first began, many people in her village disapproved of her work and did not allow women to talk with her.
However, after spending the past decade fostering trust among members of her community, her reputation has changed significantly. In fact, many couples now go to her for counseling on contraception and referrals to Surya clinics. Not only does Sobha recommend Surya services, she uses them herself. Through her role as a health promoter, Surya has become financially independent and is now equipped to best support herself, her family, and community.
Read the full story here.
Olawunmi Adeyemo, a Makeup Artist and Salon Owner in Nigeria
Olawunmi in front of her salon Ola-Boss in Balogun, Ikeja, where she sells cosmetics and weaves.
Olawunmi says the Lydia IUD has changed her life in so many ways. After her second pregnancy where she had twins, she immediately sought contraceptive methods so that she could continue to manage her hair and make-up salon without the worry of another child. Through the easily accessible Honey&Banana Connect toll-free call center, Olawunmi got all of her questions answered about the Lydia IUD.
Today, she continues to pursue her dream to make her salon, Ola-Boss Makeover, known all over the world. Now that she is free of pregnancy worries, she has a better shot at that dream.
Read the full story here.
Zulekha Baloch, a Community Midwife in Pakistan
Zulekha in her Dhanak clinic, where she serves her community in Pakistan with multiple contraceptive options.
When Zulekha set out to attend midwifery school and open up her own clinic, she faced opposition from her husband, family, and community. Despite these challenges, in 2013 she completed her midwifery course, and in 2015 she was approached by DKT Pakistan to open her own Dhanak clinic—among thousands of other midwife-owned DKT Dhanak Health Care centers nationwide.
Her passion for educating and supporting her community through patient-centered care has played an essential role in inspiring positive change in attitudes towards family planning in her community.
Read the full story here.
Vikash & Ragini Kumar, Motorcycle Mechanic & Housewife in India
Vikash (left), Ragini (right), and their two children (center) have their photo taken outside one of DKT Janani’s Surya Clinics
Early in their marriage, Vikash and Ragini agreed that they only wanted two children. At DKT Janani’s Surya Clinic, they were able to seek advice from a clinic counsellor and decide on the right services to space out their pregnancies.
With the help of the Surya Family Planning Clinic Network and DKT products, Vikash and Ragini now have the family they envisioned. “Now we can afford to educate and take care of our children properly,” says Ragini.
Read the full story here.
Selam Abebe, Sex Worker in Ethiopia
Selam shares how DKT Ethiopia’s Wise-Up HIV drop-in centers have helped her save money for her future.
As part of her career as a sex worker, Selam needs to be tested frequently for HIV/AIDs. DKT Ethiopia’s Wise-Up HIV drop-in centers became a go-to place for Selam. They were places she could affordably get tested, seek sexual health advice, and even do chores like laundry. “Wise-Up is like my home,” she says.
With the money she’s saved by going to DKT’s center, she is now investing in her college education and plans to open a small business in the future.
Read the full story here.
Odogwu Anene Nkemdilim, a Grocery Seller in Nigeria
Odogwu Anene Nkemdilim runs a small grocery store and opted for an IUD to take control over her reproductive and professional life.
When she first got married, Odogwu Anene Nkemdilim wanted to space her children five years apart. However, after her second child in two years, she knew she needed to find a contraceptive option that would work best for her.
Since selecting a Lydia IUD, she has been able to take control over her sexual and reproductive life and focus on her professional goals. “Family planning has changed my life very well,” she says. “Before, if I’m with my husband, I would be fearing for myself whether I might get pregnant. But after the Lydia IUD, I have a free mind.”
Read the full story here.
Ruqia Younas, a Community Midwife in Pakistan
Ruqia Younas treats a young patient in her Dhanak clinic in Bhattiwala, Pakistan.
Since becoming a midwife in 2011 and joining DKT’s Dhanak clinic network in 2014, Ruqia Younas has dedicated her life to providing maternal and child health care to the women and children in her village in central Pakistan.
“Dhanak brought big changes to my life,” she describes. “As I have acquired more experience, people trust me more and my relationships with them have improved. The word about me goes out, with clients talking to other people. People now ask about me, even from distant places.”
Read the full story here.
Rani Devi, a Surya Health Promoter in India
Rani Devi, a Surya Health Promoter, talks to young women in her community about the benefits of family planning and is now seen as a reliable expert in sexual and reproductive health.
After having three children and worrying about her family’s financial situation, Rani Devi became a Surya Health Promoter in 2009. With determination and compassion, she has successfully worked to dispel myths around family planning in her community.
“When I was poor and in trouble, the Surya clinic supported me,” she shares. Her life is good today, she says, because she found Surya and wants to continue the work that has enriched her life.
Read the full story here.
Temitope Adebayo, a Tailor’s Apprentice in Nigeria
Temitope Adebyo, an aspiring fashion designer, doing her chores at home in Makoko of Lagos.
Temitope Adebayo, a young single mother living in the densely populated Makoko slums of Lagos, has found a strategy for dealing with the shady men she encounters.
“I have not seen a good man,” she says. “All men are useless. But I am still young; it is not possible for me not to be dating. But even the guy I am dating behaves like a madman sometimes. No one should quickly get pregnant with such a man. That’s the reason I am taking family planning.”
Read the full story here.
Amanuel Aklilu, a Digital Media Professional in Ethiopia
Amanuel became engaged with DKT Ethiopia’s Higher Education Initiative, which helped him give back to fellow students.
Amanuel Aklilu admits that when he attended his first session of DKT’s Higher Education Initiative (HEI), he was mainly interested in scoring some per diem to cover the cost of khat, an indigenous plant of the Horn of Africa that is a stimulant and produces a high.
Instead, that session turned out to be a turning point in his life. “The project helped me to graduate safely with a clearly outlined life plan,” he says.
Read the full story here.