Mechai's approach is innovative, some may say unorthodox. An economist from a prominent family, he is widely known as Thailand’s "condom king," often using humor to promote the prophylactics and to defuse fear and shame. During the height of his prevention efforts, Mechai held condom-blowing contests in rural villages and opened a resort named "Birds and Bees" and restaurants called "Cabbages and Condoms," where condoms were served instead of after-dinner mints.
The life-saving impact of his work is serious, however, and something to celebrate. For its groundbreaking efforts in HIV prevention and family planning, the PDA is the recipient of the 2007 Gates Award for Global Health. The award honors extraordinary efforts to improve health in developing countries.
Turning Vision into Action
"They stopped AIDS in its tracks," said Dr. Nils Daulaire, president and CEO of the Global Health Council, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that identifies and reports on priority world health problems. "Thailand is one of the world's great success stories, and the PDA is in great part responsible for that. They were able to effect profound changes in social and cultural norms and to leverage those changes into huge impact in terms of health and wellbeing for the people of Thailand."
Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the foundation’s Global Health Program, recognized the organization's three decades at the forefront of international public health. "The PDA has given millions of Thais the opportunity to live healthier lives and has shown the world that effective HIV prevention and family planning are possible in even the poorest communities," Yamada said.
Mechai possesses a sense of how to turn his vision into strategies that make a difference in people's lives. For example, after realizing how closely health and economic status are tied, he launched PDA initiatives to improve both. One such initiative is a microcredit loan known as Positive Partnership. It matches an HIV-positive person with a partner who does not carry the virus and provides both with small loans to start businesses. Both partners get vocational training, and the HIV-positive partner receives help in accessing antiretroviral therapies.
A History of Helping
Since 1974, the Population and Community Development Association has focused on improving lives and strengthening communities in Thailand by addressing subjects once too embarrassing to mention. Recruiting volunteers in community-based programs, the PDA began its work by helping women and their families plan pregnancies. Thailand's population growth is now one of the lowest in Asia, reduced from 3.2 to 1 percent at the end of 2005.
The association has grown to become the country’s largest non-profit organization, with 600 employees and more than 12,000 volunteers. It has reached more than 10 million Thais in nearly 18,000 villages, also helping with projects that aim to reduce poverty through community empowerment, improved water resources and sanitation, environmental conservation, and promotion of democracy and gender equality.
In addition, the PDA has trained nearly 3,000 people from 50 countries in HIV prevention, family planning, adolescent reproductive health, and other areas crucial to development.