Afghan Social Marketing Organization

What Afghan Social Marketing Organization does

Afghan Social Marketing Organization (ASMO) is a Kabul-based non-profit social marketing organization founded in 2008 that distributes affordable maternal and child health, family planning, child nutrition, and water-purification products across Afghanistan. Its product portfolio spans three core categories: maternal health (CHX-Gel, iron and folic acid tablets, oral contraceptives, condoms), child health (Shefa ORS, Shefa wa Quwat ORS+Zinc combo packs, Kid Care nutrition powder), and water purification (Aquatabs, Ab Pak Kon liquid chlorine), with sterile and non-sterile gloves added in October 2023. ASMO sells through a multi-layered distribution network of approximately 4,000 pharmacies, 2,500 health product stores, 500+ private midwives, and 2,000+ active outlets across five provinces (Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Balkh, Nangarhar), supplemented by a micro-entrepreneur pilot in Kabul and Jalalabad.

ASMO's revenue model is hybrid: subsidized product sales at unit pricing generate modest commercial revenue (AFN 10–11M per quarter in FY24 product sales), while the bulk of operating funding comes from donor grants, principally USAID through the Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) project running 2019–2024 and predecessor programs (HEMAYAT, SHOPS Plus, UHI). Go-to-market combines community-led engagement (175+ midwives conducting detailing and referrals, health education sessions reaching 32,000+ individuals) with mass-media demand creation (Facebook reaching 3M+, nationwide Dari and Pashto radio reaching an estimated 25M audience, 50 billboards). Underlying technology includes an Android/iOS customer ordering application, internal reporting dashboards, an IP-based CCTV system, and an in-development e-health suite (EMR, telemedicine, referral tools, midwife support application).

Quantified health outcomes include 1,233,108 couple-years of protection (CYPs), 2,113,257 diarrhea episodes treated, 435,201,700+ liters of drinking water disinfected, 2,000 health professionals trained, and 10M+ people reached through awareness campaigns. ASMO is governed independently through a board of directors and operates with a core HQ staff of approximately 9 employees, with the broader field workforce executing distribution, detailing, and community engagement.

Name

Afghan Social Marketing Organization

Legal name

Afghan Social Marketing Organization

Website

https://asmo.org.af

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ASMO is a Kabul-based non-profit founded in 2008 that distributes affordable maternal, child health, and water-purification products through 4,000+ pharmacies, 2,500 health stores, and 500+ private midwives across five Afghan provinces, funded primarily by USAID.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Products Distribution

NAICS

Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (42421)

SIC

Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRADAGAK

Women’s Health Supplements (Prenatal, Menopause, Hormonal)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

SECONDARYCRADAGAJ

Children’s Vitamins & Supplements

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

Keywords

• Social marketing health products
• Maternal and child health
• Water purification products
• Family planning products
• Public health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kabul

HQ country

Afghanistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Health Product Sales: ASMO generates revenue through the sale of health products including maternal health products (condoms, oral contraceptives, CHX gel, iron and folic acid tablets), child health products (ORS/Zinc, child food powder), and water purification products (Aquatabs, liquid chlorine) through a network of pharmacies, stores, and midwives across Afghanistan.
2. Donor-funded Program Implementation: ASMO operates as a non-profit organization implementing donor-funded public health programs, including the USAID-funded LHSS (Local Health System Sustainability) project, under which product sales and distribution activities are conducted. Revenue generation from product sales complements donor funding for organizational sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ASMO is a non-profit social marketing organization that distributes affordable, high-quality health products across maternal health, child health, and water purification categories to underserved populations in Afghanistan. The organization sells branded products including contraceptives, ORS/Zinc, chlorhexidine gel, nutritional supplements, and water purification tablets through a network of 4,000 pharmacies, 2,500 health product stores, and 500 private midwives. Operations are supported by USAID-funded programs (e.g., LHSS) and complemented by health education, provider training, and Behavior Change Communication campaigns.

Product overview

Afghan Social Marketing Organization (ASMO) operates as a non-profit social marketing organization offering a portfolio of health products across three main categories: Maternal Health Products (including contraceptives, prenatal supplements, and infection prevention), Child Health Products (nutrition supplements and diarrhea treatment), and Water Purification Products (tablets and liquid chlorine). The organization distributes these products through a network of private sector outlets including pharmacies, health facilities, and community-based micro-entrepreneurs. ASMO's product portfolio includes branded offerings such as CHX-Gel, Iron & Folic Acid Tablets, Fire Premium Condom, Asodagi Condom, Khoshi Tablets, HERNEE, Kid Care Food Powder, Shefa ORS products, Aquatabs, and Liquid Chlorine (Ab Pak Kon), along with medical supplies like sterile and non-sterile gloves launched in 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shefa: ORS/Salt Powder product for treating diarrhea, available in lemon, apple, and malt flavors
• Shefa wa Quwat
• Kid Care
• Khoshi
• HERNEE
• Fire Premium
• Asodagi
• CHX-Gel
• Taqwia Khon
• Aquatabs
• Ab Pak Kon (Liquid Chlorine)

Products and services

• CHX-Gel Chlorhexidine 7.1% gel applied to the cut umbilical cord stump for up to 7 days after birth to prevent umbilical cord infections in newborns. Targeted at mothers and newborns in underserved Afghan communities.
• Iron & Folic Acid Tablets (Taqwia Khon) Iron and folic acid supplement tablets for pregnant women to support healthy fetal development, available in 30-tablet and 300-tablet packages. Targeted at pregnant women in Afghanistan.
• Fire Premium Condom Latex condom with textured (dots) surface for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Available in 3, 12, 120, and 144-count packages. Targeted at sexually active adults in Afghanistan.
• Asodagi Condom Latex condom for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Available in 4-count and 60-count packages. Targeted at sexually active adults in Afghanistan.
• Khoshi Tablets (Oral Contraceptive) Combined oral contraceptive tablets containing estrogen and progesterone hormones for birth spacing. Available in 28-tablet packs containing 21 hormonal tablets and 7 iron tablets. Targeted at women in Afghanistan seeking family planning.
• HERNEE Levonorgestrel Tablets BP Progestin-only pill (POP) for birth spacing, safe for breastfeeding women. Available in 35-tablet packs, 99% effective when taken daily. Targeted at breastfeeding women in Afghanistan seeking contraception.
• Kid Care Food Powder Child nutrition supplement powder containing vitamins A, C, D, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, niacin, iron, zinc, copper, iodine, and selenium for child growth. Supplied in 1g sachets, 30 sachets per container. Targeted at young children in Afghanistan for nutritional supplementation.
• Shefa Salt Powder (ORS) Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) powder for replacing water and salt lost during diarrhea and vomiting. Available in 22.5g sachets in lemon, apple, and malt flavors. Approved by Ministry of Public Health. Targeted at children suffering from diarrhea in Afghanistan.
• Shefa wa Quwat (ORS + Zinc Combo) Combination pack containing two ORS sachets (Shefa) and one blister pack of ten zinc tablets for treating childhood diarrhea, restoring strength and appetite. Targeted at children in Afghanistan suffering from diarrhea.
• Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets Water purification tablets manufactured in Ireland by Medentech. Available in 33mg and 67mg tablets in 10-tablet blister packs. Kills all microbes in water without changing color, taste, or odor. WHO and FAO compliant. Targeted at households in Afghanistan needing safe drinking water.
• Liquid Chlorine (Ab Pak Kon) Liquid chlorine for disinfecting drinking water and washing fruits and vegetables. Supplied in 250ml bottles with 10-sachet packages. Keeps water clean for 48 hours. Targeted at Afghan households needing safe drinking water and food hygiene.
• Sterile and Non-Sterile Gloves Medical examination gloves in sterile and non-sterile variants launched in October 2023 to improve safety for healthcare providers and consumers. Targeted at healthcare providers and consumers across Afghanistan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,233,108 couple-years of protection (CYPs) delivered through distribution of reproductive health products
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Medentech (Aquatabs)minorOthersASMO distributes Aquatabs water purification tablets, manufactured by Medentech in Ireland, which are WHO and FAO compliant and used to disinfect drinking water. Aquatabs eliminate all microbes in water without affecting color, smell, or taste, and have been used safely for 20 years with no reported side effects.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marie Stopes International (MSI): MSI delivers reproductive and maternal health services and products across 37+ countries, often through social franchise and social marketing channels. Its Afghanistan operations and contraceptive distribution model are directly comparable to ASMO's midwife network and maternal health portfolio.
• Population Services International (PSI): PSI is the global leader in social marketing of health products, using private-sector distribution networks to deliver contraceptives, ORS, water treatment, and maternal/child health products in developing countries — the same operating model ASMO employs at country scale in Afghanistan.
• DKT International: DKT International is one of the largest social marketing organizations for contraceptives and reproductive health products globally. Its focus on affordable family planning through private-sector channels closely mirrors ASMO's Khoshi, HERNEE, Fire Premium, and Asodagi product lines.
• Social Marketing Company (SMC), Bangladesh: SMC is a Bangladesh-based social marketing enterprise distributing contraceptives, ORS, sanitary napkins, and maternal/child health products through a vast pharmacy and retailer network — structurally analogous to ASMO's Shefa, CHX-Gel, and Aquatabs distribution model in Afghanistan.
• BRAC Afghanistan: BRAC operates one of the largest development programs in Afghanistan spanning health, education, and microfinance. Its community health worker model and last-mile distribution approach are directly comparable to ASMO's micro-entrepreneur pilot and private midwife engagement strategy.

Broad incumbents

• FHI 360: FHI 360 is a large global development organization with significant health programming in Afghanistan, including family planning and maternal/child health. While broader than ASMO, it shares the same USAID-funded social marketing and behavior change communication paradigm.
• Management Sciences for Health (MSH): MSH is a global health systems strengthening organization with USAID-funded programming in Afghanistan (including predecessor LHSS activities). Its private-sector health product access initiatives overlap with ASMO's distribution-focused interventions.

Others

• Save the Children Afghanistan: Save the Children is a major INGO operating in Afghanistan focused on child health, nutrition, and WASH — overlapping with ASMO's child health and WASH portfolios and competing for similar donor funding pools.
• UNFPA Afghanistan: UNFPA is a UN agency and major procurer/funder of reproductive health products in Afghanistan. ASMO's maternal health distribution works alongside UNFPA programming and competes for alignment with UNFPA's contraceptive security initiatives.
• CARE International Afghanistan: CARE operates health, nutrition, and WASH programs across Afghanistan, often funded by the same donor pool (USAID, ECHO). It serves comparable low-income Afghan populations with overlapping maternal and child health interventions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asmo-afghanistan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Afghan Social Marketing Organization