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BRAZZAVILLE, People's Republic of Congo (RPC) — Here in the "Other Congo," Marlon Batista runs one of PSI's most unheralded and efficient programs across the Congo River from its giant neighbor to the south, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Batista has been with PSI for over eight years, during which he has managed to keep things going through two wars, little donor interest and a shifting political landscape. And not only just keep things going, but going well. With a population of only 3.2 million, RPC is tiny compared to DRC with its 55.2 million people. But its accomplishments are not tiny: In July of this year, RPC cracked the "Holy Grail" of condom social marketing — one condom sold per capita — for the first time, joining an elite group of PSI countries with sales that are high in relation to their populations. And in the latest report on PSI Unit Costs and Efficiency 2001, RPC had the fifth lowest "net cost per condom sold." Only Pakistan, Côte d'Ivoire, India and Nigeria were lower — all much bigger countries. No other small country was anywhere near as close to the top of the annual list of "most efficient" programs. "ASF (Association de Sante Familiale) started very small but results on the ground are very encouraging," says Batista. "We can continue to do better and, with time, hope to be able to do sensibilitization in the schools and with commercial sex workers and their clients. ASF's team was not formally trained to do social marketing, but have learned their skills in the field. In the future we will do more." Batista came to PSI in 1994, following the AIDS-related death of a long-time Congolese employee at the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville. The loss prompted U.S. Embassy personnel to approach PSI/Congo-Kinshasa in the hopes of starting a similar project in Congo-Brazzaville. DRC Country Representative John Loftin quickly traveled to Brazzaville, formed an ad hoc committee and created ASF/Congo on March 9, 1994. The project started with $5,000 in seed funding for operations and $25,000 from the U.S. Embassy Self-Help Fund for packaging and promotion. The project finally kicked off on June 10, 1995 at the American Cultural Center with the requisite ministerial and diplomatic pomp and fanfare. The Congo's 1997 civil war forced operations to shut down and precipitated the departure of potential donors. During the conflict, 350,000 condoms were stolen and the office completely destroyed. Batista and the team managed to rebuild during a brief respite before the second civil war was launched in December 1998. This time the project carried on distributing condoms through rockets, tanks and mortars. Brazzaville's bullet-riddled, bombed-out buildings remain as evidence of the brutality of the conflict and stand as a testament to the team's remarkable stamina and dedication to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in their country. Over the life of the project, monthly sales have risen a hundredfold — from 3,000 to 300,000 per month. Lack of funding forces Batista to cap monthly sales at approximately 250,000 and limits condom distribution to Brazzaville and Point Noire, but both Loftin and Batista are confident sales could climb to 500,000 per month if sufficient quantities were made available. The current project operates on a shoe-string budget out of a small office in the heart of Brazzaville. Batista is supported by Guy Roger, who acts as an administrative assistant. All project operations are covered by sales revenues. ASF/Congo primarily distributes condoms through commercial vendors who sell to customers in small shops, market stalls and bars. Although condoms can be found in pharmacies, ASF has found that people prefer to buy them in the street and through smaller shops. Batista recalls initial skepticism when Prudence condoms were first put on the market. The Congolese believed the condoms were fabricated in the DRC and questioned their quality. Educating vendors and consumers on quality standards and correct condom usage has lessened these concerns. Batista has recently raised the profile of PSI's activities in the RPC with the creation of a project web site (asfbrazza.ifrance.com) and submission of regular articles on HIV-related articles to a national journal. Batista hopes that the site and the articles will increase awareness about the crisis facing RPC and encourage Congolese to adopt responsible sexual behavior. Batista is happily married with two little girls and recently celebrated a church wedding with his wife. Batista admits that his wife was at first a little ashamed of her husband's work, but is now proud of his mission. Batista's family has been touched by the tragedy of HIV/AIDS and Batista takes his role as the oldest sibling in the family seriously, taking care to talk to his younger brothers and their families about the risks in a country where an estimated 7.2% of adults 15-49 are estimated to be HIV positive. — Alison Malmqvist, Family Planning and ITN Manager, PSI/DRC
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