The Population and Community Development Association (PDA) is a non-governmental organization in Thailand. Its goal is to reduce poverty through both development initiatives and family planning programs. Originally called the Community-Based Family Planning Service, it was founded by Mechai Viravaidya in 1974. In the early 1970s, Viravaidya was the Minister of Industry but became frustrated with the government's inability to implement a national family planning policy. In his work with the government, he identified a direct correlation between Thailand's poverty and population growth. His immediate concern was the high population growth rate of 3.2%, which equated to approximately seven children per family. The population growth rate was an increasing concern for Thailand and Mechai Viravaidya because high growth rates restricted Thailand's ability to provide for its entire population and improve living conditions. By 2011, Thailand's population growth rate was only 0.566%. A sharp reduction in poverty has followed upon the reduction in family size, a reduction which can in significant part be attributed to the influence and programs of the PDA.
The Population and Community Development Association has concentrated on reaching rural towns and villages with family planning and development programs. It has operated on the belief that “local people are best suited to shape and sustain their own development.” Most of its programs empower communities on a micro level, utilizing a “bottom up” approach. As of 2009, the PDA had 18 regional centers which ran development programs in one-third of the country. Today, the organization consists of over 800 employees and 12,000 volunteers and is one of Thailand's most expansive and diverse NGOs.
Initially, the PDA sought to reduce population growth by focusing on efforts both to combat child mortality and to encourage family planning. Viravaidya deduced that family planning would not be widely adopted in Thailand if children did not survive. Therefore, his solution to controlling population growth, which was at 3.3%, was to target maternal and child healthcare. At the same time, the PDA made various methods of birth control accessible to rural populations. The PDA discovered that birth control pills were used by only 20% of the population because getting them required access to medical personnel. To target the remaining 80% of the country, the PDA invested in multiple initiatives - including the popularization of free condoms, increased access to birth control, incentives for women to not become pregnant, and slogans to encourage smaller families.
The Thai family planning programs met notable success. By 2015, total fertility had dropped to 1.5 children per woman. Following on the drop in unwanted fertility, the poverty rate dropped sharply; from 32.4% in 2003 10.9% in 2013.
Mission and purpose The original mission of the Population and Community Association was to supplement the efforts of the Thai government to reduce poverty by promoting family planning. To accomplish this, the PDA has focused on targeting remote rural communities where government outreach has not been viable. Realizing that a high population growth rate is a barrier to economic development, the PDA's focus has been on implementing family planning programs to lower the population growth rate. It has sought to do so through community-based, participatory approaches to educate and empower village residents. Since its inception, the program mission has expanded to include rural development and the improvement of overall health conditions. Engaging in a "people-centered approach," the PDA has worked to empower communities to identify its own needs and then work to improve conditions based on those needs - a form of self-help. Today, the PDA works to address a multitude of issues that affect poverty levels. Some of these activities include: health care, HIV/AIDS services and awareness, access to clean water resources, reliable means of income, environmental conservation, gender equality, youth education and services, democratic engagement, and small-scale business initiatives, including village owned banks providing micro-credit loans.
Founder
Mechai Viravaidya founded the Population and Community Development Association in 1974, at which time it was named the Community-Based Family Planning Service. He began his work with rural communities in Thailand in 1965 when he returned to Thailand from studying at the University of Melbourne in Australia. After studying he got a job working for the National Economic and Social Development Board and later became the Minister of Industry. As part of his job, Mechai Viravaidya spent time visiting rural areas of Thailand. Relative to other government officials, he spent a lot of time in discussion with villagers and farmers. Viravaidya then began writing a weekly column that was published in a Bangkok newspaper. He also taught at Thammasat University and had a nightly radio show during the same time period. Later he played a leading role on a television soap opera series. These experiences helped him gain the attention of the media and the support of a wide variety of audiences. When the Thai government created a national family planning policy, Viravaidya worked as secretary-general of the Family Planning Association of Thailand for two years. Viravaidya then switched to the non-profit sector when he founded the CBFPS in 1974. Today, Viravaidya continues to work as chairman of the PDA.
Timeline The Population and Community Development Association was established in 1976 as a response to the need for a diversified approach to poverty reduction in Thailand. Originally the organization was called the Community-Based Family Planning Service (CBFPS) which was established in 1974. Two years later, the CBFPS became a sub-agency within the PDA. Several other sub-agencies and separate associations have been created since then:
1974 - established as the Community-Based Family Planning Service (CBFPS)
1975 - Population & Development Company (PDC) created as a separate business to fulfill fundraising needs
1976 - CBFPS renamed as the Population and Community Development Association (PDA)
1978 - Community-Based Appropriate Technology Development Services (CBATDS) created as a sub-agency
1978 - Asian Center for Population & Community Development (ACPD) established as a separate international organization
1979 - Community-Based Emergency Relief Services (CBERS) created as a sub-agency
1979 - Community Based Integrated Rural Development (CBIRD) created a sub-agency
1983 - Community-Based Incentives-Thailand (CBIT) created as a sub-agency
1983 - Population and Development International (PDI) established as a separate organization
1984 - Rural Small Scale Industries (RSSI) Company was created as a separate business
1989 - The Thai Business Initiative in Rural Development (TBIRD) created as a sub-agency
Funding The PDA is funded through several different sources. Most of its funding comes from international donors, other NGOs and foundations, private sector businesses and foreign governments. The establishment of the original organization was funded by the International Planned Parenthood Federation. However, as the organization grew it diversified its funding and currently does not rely solely on international donors for continuous aid. Instead it has utilized various methods to work towards financial self-sustainability. In 1975, Viravaidya received a loan which he used to start a business that is legally separate from the PDA. This business has expanded into 16 separate companies under the Population and Community Development Company Ltd. These companies complement the work of the PDA by providing services such as health and medicine supplies and affordable restaurant food with a condom theme (known as Cabbages and Condoms). The profits from these companies are then used to help offset the PDA costs. Also, it can be used to supplement funds when donor aid is limited and to expand existing PDA services and programs. In the past, funds from these separate businesses have accounted for as much as 70% of required financing to maintain existing PDA activity. As a response to an overall decline of foreign development aid, the Thai Business Initiative for Rural Development (TBIRD) was created in 1989.
Strategies The Population and Community Development Association has used many different strategies to promote its programs. Often the strategies are considered unique or creative. Some of these strategies include:
Efforts to make condoms more accessible & remove the stigma associated with them, like Holding condom balloon blowing competitions Creating a Captain Condom mascot Making condoms available at associated Cabbages & Condoms restaurants in lieu of mints Educating children in school Having Buddhist monks sprinkle holy water on condoms Overseeing a "Condom is the Girl's Best Friend" campaign Having police officers distribute condoms in a "Cops and Rubbers" program
Encouraging vasectomies by Making donations into a community fund for every vasectomy performed Holding a vasectomy lunch for Americans in Thailand
Increasing the availability of birth control pills By utilizing floating markets to provide contraceptives/birth control pill By training of local shopkeepers to prescribe birth control pill
Educating the population about HIV/AIDS By using of military radio stations
Encouraging development By making micro-loans available to general villagers at relatively low interest rates, especially for villages that use contraceptives By creating village banks operated by (mostly) women within the village community
Relationship with Thai government
Throughout its existence, the PDA has involved the government of Thailand in its activities. Viravaidya largely attributes the success of the PDA in reducing population growth in Thailand to the strong cooperation between the non-profit sector and the government.
In 1971 the Thai government instituted a national family planning policy. Viravaidya was the secretary-general in the National Family Planning Association of Thailand, which worked to implement the government created policy. However, its impact was limited and Virvaidya went on to form the organization Community-Based Family Planning Service (CBFPS) in 1974, which later became incorporated under the broader PDA.
Overall, the government has been supportive of the PDA and its programs. Before beginning a new program or spreading to a new town, the PDA consults with the local government agency. It partners with the government in order to target and serve rural communities that the government does not have the capacity reach. Furthermore, the reduction in Thailand's population growth rate has largely been aided by the government's efforts to establish and maintain a national family planning policy. Also, the Ministry of Public Health adopted family planning into its national health service and led the way for the distribution of contraceptives by non-physicians. Both the PDA and the public acknowledge the successes of the Thai government and the National Family Planning Program in aiding family planning services.
Services
Women's health and maternity Empowering women's reproductive health ultimately advocates for eliminating gender inequalities. This increases women's socio-economic participation, consequently alleviating poverty in developing states. The PDA recognized that educating women on family planning and reproductive health created the following benefits: providing women the agency to make decisions about family planning, improving couples communication, and modifying sexual behaviors.