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Assignment
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. Viravaidya began as the Minister of Industry in the early 1970’s, but was frustrated with the government’s limited ability to implement a national family planning policy. In this position he identified a direct correlation between Thailand’s poverty and population growth. His immediate concern was the high growth rate of 3.2%, which equated to approximately seven children per family. This was an increasing concern for Thailand and Mechai Viravaidya because high growth rates restrict a nation’s ability to provide for its entire population and improve the conditions of living. Today, Thailand’s lowered population growth rate of 0.566% and reduced poverty levels can be partly attributed to the strong influence and participation of PDA and Viravaidya.

The program has concentrated on reaching rural towns and villages. It has operated on the belief that “local people are best suited to shape and sustain their own development.” Therefore, most of its programs have worked to empower communities on a micro level, utilizing a “bottom up” approach. As of 2009, PDA has 18 regional centers. These centers run development programs that extend across one-third of the country. 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 addressed child mortality. Viravaidya deduced that family planning would not be widely adopted in Thailand if children did not have a high survival rate. Therefore, his solution was to target maternal and child healthcare. The goal was to reduce the population growth rate, which was at 3.3%. Accordingly, various methods of birth control were made accessible. PDA discovered that birth control pills were only affecting 20% of the population because it required access to medical personnel. To target the remaining 80% of the country, 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.