PSI installs 70 condom vending machines in Kigali

Population Service International-Rwanda (PSI) has facilitated the installation of 70 condom vending machines in Kigali. According to the PSI sales manager, Placide Gatete, the machines were strategically placed in 34 target spots including bars and nightclubs. “Each machine has 56 packs of condoms, each pack with four pieces,” Gatete said. He added that the machines will be refilled on a weekly basis, but the plan is to eventually hand over the management of the machines to owners of the places where they are installed. Late last year, the Executive Secretary of the National AIDS Control Commission (CNLS), Dr. Anita Asiimwe unveiled a plan to install 700 condom vending machines at hospitality facilities all over the country as part of the commissions strategy to fight the spread of the AIDS. Meanwhile, statistics from PSI indicate that over 4.4 million condoms were distributed in four months from December 2010 to March 2011. Out of these, over 3.3 million were distributed in December 2010 alone. “This is because of the World Aids Day where we had a condom distribution campaign. There were many condoms distributed for free,” said Gatete. Recent figure indicates that 23 million condoms were distributed in Rwanda in 2010. Currently, there are 74 condom vending machines in the country with 70 in the capital and four at the National University of Rwanda in the Southern Province. Ends