The battle against HIV/AIDS in Mozambique has received a boost through a new campaign to improve condom usage called “Fazes Bem”.
The campaign is implemented by Project Last Mile and supported by Mozambique’s National Council to Combat HIV/AIDS’s (CNCS) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund).
Project Last Mile is a public-private partnership operating across Africa to strengthen health systems, drawing on the Coca-Cola system’s strategic marketing expertise and distribution capabilities to deliver medicines and supplies reliably and efficiently to facilities and patients, as well as increase uptake of products and services provided by the public health sector, such as vaccines, medicines and condoms.
In Mozambique, with the support from CNCS and the Global Fund, Project Last Mile partnered with Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) to develop tailored last mile delivery solutions and strategic marketing to improve demand for condoms and provide a stable supply of condoms at the access points most likely to be used.
The approach leverages CCBA’s world-class logistics capabilities as well as consumer-centric marketing strategies that the Coca-Cola company deploys. Research gathered from condom users and detailed mapping of condom access points in the pilot area of Boane guides the route-to-market strategy and informs the “Fazes Bem” (Do it Well) campaign, targeting men and women at public sector and private ‘hotspot’ access points for condoms.
“The pilot happened in Boane, which is a district near the capital city of Maputo. CNCS chose this district because it has a bit of everything – some urban areas, some less developed areas, places with lots of people, and places with fewer people, and a mix of different types of residents. By doing the trial here, they could get a good idea of how well the project might work if it was expanded to other places,” explained Dr. Francisco Mbofana, CEO, CNCS.
“The pilot project had very good outcomes. It’s estimated that more than double the number of free condoms provided by the government was distributed compared to previous years,” said Dr Maxim Berdnikov, Country Portfolio Manager from The Global Fund. Nearly 88% of the population had a positive feedback to the campaign that encouraged condom use, and a total of 1.2 million condoms were given out during the six-month period.”
Since 2016, Project Last Mile has partnered with the Ministry of Health and the Global Fund to strengthen the public health system in Mozambique.
With the support of CCBA, the project has mapped 80,000km of road networks and confirmed GPS locations of 93% of the country’s health facilities across 11 provinces. The project has generated detailed information on road conditions in the wet and dry seasons, the category of vehicle required to deliver to each health facility, as well as a calculation of costs.
The partnership with Project Last Mile has leveraged CCBA’s expertise in supply chain and logistics, to identify every possible opportunity to save on costs and ensure delivery for the public health sector. A small saving on each kilometre along delivery routes can translate into large savings for local government.
“At CCBA, we are a proud industry leader in developing increasingly sustainable ways to manufacture, distribute and sell our products,” said CCBA in Mozambique’s General Manager, Duncan Wyness. “We use our industry leadership to be part of the solution to achieve positive change in the world and to build a more sustainable future for our planet.”
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Project Last Mile supported Mozambique’s Ministry of Health in rolling out the national vaccination campaign. Project Last Mile provided technical assistance for the conduction of a national audit and corrective and preventative maintenance of cold chain equipment to ensure readiness for receiving and distributing the vaccines.
“Our aim is to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities we serve across the value-chain. Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent,” Wyness said.
ABOUT COCA-COLA BEVERAGES AFRICA
CCBA is the 8th largest Coca-Cola bottling partner in the world by revenue, and the largest on the continent. It accounts for over 40% of all Coca-Cola products sold in Africa by volume. With over 17,000 employees in Africa, CCBA services more than 680,000 customers with a host of international and local brands. The group was formed in July 2016 after the successful combination of the southern and east Africa bottling operations of the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages businesses of The Coca-Cola Company, SABMiller plc and Gutsche Family Investments. CCBA shareholders are currently: The Coca-Cola Company 66.5% and Gutsche Family Investments 33.5%. CCBA operates in 15 countries, including its six key markets of South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique and Namibia, as well as Tanzania, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, the islands of Comoros and Mayotte, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Malawi. Learn more at https://www.ccbagroup.com or on LinkedIn.