KECHMMO Condom Distribution project

The goal of this project is to increase access to condoms and IEC materials in Ngamiland District by creating a distribution network utilizing Bars, Night Clubs, Street Vendors, Taxi Cabs, Mini Buses, and Buses with the aim to distribute 1.2 million condoms to the Ngamiland district per year.

“Ke Chaisitse Mo Mogareng” (KECHMMO) which means “I am done with HIV”, seeks to approach the HIV/AIDS from the opposite direction, with an individual member and a community say “I” as opposed to be instructed to do. The campaign seeks to allow individual to introspect and understand that the fight against HIV/AIDS needs to stand at individual level and if all individual play a role then we have many participating. This campaign seeks to acknowledge the fact that Batswana just like everyone in the global village is as good as how they view themselves through technology, social media and general decision making. A modern individual buys a smart phone, a tablet, an I-PAD for themselves, for their own personal space and use and therefore communication needs to be personalized.

The Objective of the project were:

  1. The project seeks to instill sense of responsibility within the community for HIV Prevention.
  2. To tap on the “IMPATIENT” trait of young people so say “WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF HIV; IT IS TIME WE STOP IT”.

NCONGO believes that HIV/AIDS can be won by targeting individuals in a manner that they can see their role and play that role.  This campaign which was witnessed among all platforms calls for us to re-think our programming. The need was to move to the psychology and social media platforms and develops campaigns that talk to our target market and gives them greater freedom and responsibility for making decisions. The “Ke Chaisitse Mo Mogareng Campaign” is therefore exactly that kind of campaign as it does not instruct individuals to do anything but to introspect and see themselves as individuals or are deciding to do what is right not another prescriptive project. The social media platforms campaigns has its ability to show individuals that there are other individuals like you who are participating in the campaign and we intend to ensure that we create a platform to discuss our role in the fight without judgment and bias.

In 2012 NCONGO undertook a project called Taxi Talk and Condom Distribution project and whilst the project back then was prescriptive it lead to increased condom distribution in Maun during the three month pilot period.  The pilot ended due to lack of funding despite the successful implementation.  During the three month pilot, from the beginning of February to the end of April 2012, the Taxi Talk project distributed over 300,000 condoms.  The lessons learned during this implementation was used to strengthen the project sustainability by allocating funding in a more efficient manner.  The project was also widen the scope of the distribution to reach further into Ngamiland by utilizing buses, bars, Night Clubs, delivery trucks and local trusts.

The continuation period of this project was implemented through a collaborative partnership with Business Botswana Coalition on AIDS (BBCA), funded by National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA) The implementation partnership came to an end in 2022.