National/regional campaigns
The Durex Network partners with local and national charities and governmental organisations worldwide to develop sexual health initiatives. Recent initiatives include:
Austria
In May 2007, Durex Austria joined forces with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health, Family and Youth to provide condoms and sexual health information to all secondary schools under a campaign called “Verkehr nie ohne”.
Bulgaria
The Durex Network teamed up with the Bulgarian Gender Education, Research and Technologies Foundation to organise a youth sexual health awareness campaign in August 2008, which coincided with International Youth Day. Volunteers between 15 and 21 years old took part, engaging with young people in the streets of Bulgarian capital Sofia and giving out information leaflets, T-shirts and badges and condoms. The project was so successful that similar activities on a more regular basis are being planned for the future.
Czech Republic and Slovakia
In May 2007, thousands of people in the Czech Republic and Slovakia took part in National Condom Week.
A drawing competition was organised, inviting high school students to submit posters promoting safer sex, with the promise of the winning entry being used for the 2008 National Condom Week. The competition’s media profile was boosted with the involvement of pop singer Dara Rolins, who acted as a judge in the competition.
France
Durex France partnered with various youth media to create a unique website providing sexual health information for World AIDS Day 2007. The website was accessible at the end of 2007 and attracted more than 1,000,000 visitors. More than 100,000 condoms were donated to partner-NGOs Sida Info Service, Sidaction and Solidarité Sida. In collaboration with Sida Info Service and national radio station RMC, a red double-decker bus was also decked out to travel around Paris in November/December 2007, giving out sexual health information and condoms to members of the public.
Italy
Italy ran its second annual National Condom Week from 4 to 10 June 2007. A drawing competition was organised in 3,000 schools, inviting students to submit posters promoting the safer sex message. Humana Italia, AISC and ANLAIDS, three key Italian NGOs working within sexual health, distributed information packs and organised discussion sessions in the schools. Durex Italy also donated 140,000 condoms to key sexual health NGOs.
Malaysia
Durex Malaysia organised a programme called “Sex Education Talks” in colleges and universities throughout the Klang Valley during 2007. Doctors toured the whole area discussing sexual health issues and handing out information to young Malaysians. In conjunction with the Malaysian AIDS Foundation, Durex organised an exhibition to raise awareness of the safer sex message at the Astro Broadcast station in Kuala Lumpur throughout October and November 2007.
UK
Durex UK has been co-ordinating National Condom Week for the past ten years. In 2008, a poster competition was developed to reach young people with safer sex messages designed by 16 to 24 year-olds. The competition received a wealth of entries and “Love is Blind”, the winning poster set designed by Samuel Michael was used to design the safer sex campaign pack. For more details, click here