| Going Strong | | | | Poverty Reduction - Rural Micro-credit - Water and |
| Mechai was born in Australia in 1941 to a Scottish | | | | Environment - Youth as Agents of Change Today |
| mother and Thai father. He was educated at Geelong | | | | and Leaders of Tomorrow - Education and Nutrition - |
| Grammar School, then moved to Thailand to work | | | | Corporate Social Responsibility - Emergency Relief |
| for the government where he has served as a | | | | Services - Asian Centre for Population and |
| Senator and a Minister of the Office of the Prime | | | | Community Development - NGO Sustainability |
| Minister twice. He has also served as Government | | | | Innovative Funding |
| Spokesman, Deputy Minister of Industry, Governor | | | | As a pioneer in social enterprise, it's not surprising |
| of the Provincial Waterworks Authority, and | | | | that Mechai has his own views on charitable giving. |
| Chairman of Krung Thai Bank Public Company Ltd and | | | | Over three decades ago, he identified that the PDA |
| the Telephone Organization of Thailand. He was | | | | would not be able to survive merely on grants. They |
| appointed also as the Ambassador for UNAIDS in | | | | had to innovate to provide funds; and that echoes in |
| 1999. | | | | the work they do today and the funds they |
| At the age of 66, his unrelenting passion for his | | | | generate. Starting with an initial grant of $65,000 to |
| cause is still going strong. Upon meeting Mechai, there | | | | set up the PDA, they established 18 companies to |
| is a feeling of warmth about the man who cares for | | | | provide funds to their organisation through grass |
| others and shows it through his work. It is very clear | | | | roots development. This, Mechai acknowledges, has |
| that he values his team, who through their | | | | been the key factor in their success - people in need |
| outstanding effort, have won the PDA numerous | | | | helping themselves out of poverty and working to |
| awards. Many of the original staff that helped | | | | develop their own community. Two of the companies |
| establish PDA over 30 years ago now hold senior | | | | did not succeed; but rather than see this as a defeat, |
| positions, and their loyalty has been repaid through | | | | it was turned into a learning experience: the key |
| shared achievement. It is clear that they are not | | | | message, work smarter, not harder! Their Cabbages |
| motivated by the awards, but by the fantastic work | | | | & Condoms restaurant in Bangkok features |
| they do. | | | | 'free' condoms, and all profits are used by the PDA |
| An Asian Hero | | | | for its programmes. They have also launched a chain |
| It is easy to see why Time magazine listed Mechai as | | | | of hotels based around the same name and theme. |
| an 'Asian Hero' alongside the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, | | | | Carbon Free |
| the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa. However, his | | | | It was Mechai's innovation that factored heavily in |
| intention is not to be a shining star - although the | | | | the PATT Foundation's Carbon Free Programme |
| attraction he has created has seen him recently | | | | development, along with financial support from the |
| featured on Bloomberg and CNN's Talk Asia. The Bill | | | | XL Results Foundation. The partnership established a |
| & Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced | | | | co-operative bank in each village that is funded based |
| that PDA had won the 2007 Gates Award for Global | | | | on the number of trees planted and kept alive |
| Health, in recognition of its pioneering work. PDA and | | | | through the mortality period. With the bank |
| its leaders have been recognised internationally by | | | | committee being 50 percent female, it tackles not |
| various organisations for their work in making lasting, | | | | only gender equality but helps to createsustainability |
| systemic changes in Thailand and Southeast Asia. | | | | through microfinance and the low interest loans they |
| Two of their programmes have been recognized as | | | | offer for SME start-ups in the village. This factor |
| Best Practices by UNAIDS, highlighting PDA's | | | | helps to eradicate poverty; but at the same time, |
| pioneering successes in family planning and HIV/AIDS | | | | the trees are combating another world problem - |
| prevention, and in the area of changing attitudes and | | | | reforestation and climate change. |
| behaviour and delivering services to the rural poor. | | | | Education for the Needy |
| Lives Saved | | | | Mechai has no plans to slow down - in fact, quite the |
| Representatives of organisations from nearly 50 | | | | contrary, he enjoys what he does so much that it's |
| countries have visited Thailand to learn from PDA's | | | | not work to him. When most are planning their next |
| successes through its international training arm. The | | | | round of golf, Mechai is pondering how to raise funds |
| World Bank acknowledged the PDA's key contribution | | | | to continue education into the middle years at one of |
| in November 2005, which estimated that seven million | | | | their elementary schools in a rural area of northern |
| lives had been saved from HIV/AIDS through the | | | | Thailand. This school was set up to provide higher |
| intensive public education and prevention programme | | | | levels of education from the poor schooling that |
| designed and introduced to the public through PDA. | | | | previously existed. It awards scholarships to the |
| The PDA was founded as an NGO to complement | | | | needy, and provides a chance for students to lift |
| the efforts of the Royal Thai Government in | | | | themselves out of poverty through education.The |
| promoting family planning in Thailand. Its members | | | | school has been so successful that its first students |
| recruited and trained residents of villages to provide | | | | are now reaching secondary school stage, with no |
| information on family planning. This network covered | | | | place nearby to continue their tutoring at the level |
| more than one-third of the country, significantly | | | | required. The programme is a victim of its own |
| contributing to the decrease in the annual population | | | | success - but a nice problem to have, which PDA will |
| growth rate. | | | | surely solve. |
| After addressing the immediate family planning needs, | | | | An Opportunity is Afoot |
| PDA expanded its activities to include primary health | | | | A recent decision by a large sporting footwear |
| care, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, water | | | | manufacturer to relocate to China for more |
| resource development and sanitation, | | | | favourable economic conditions has left the PDA with |
| incomegeneration, environmental conservation, | | | | another more significant problem. It has to find a |
| promotion of small-scale rural enterprise programmes, | | | | way to fill the void for the company it set up that |
| gender equality, youth development and democracy | | | | supported the footwear manufacture, but now has |
| promotion. Its most recent activities have been the | | | | no orders. Over 3,000 people have been left |
| post-tsunami social, economic, and environmental | | | | floundering as the large multi-nationals chase profits |
| rehabilitation of the villages affected by the tsunami, | | | | to please shareholders. Thus, the PDA now has |
| and the establishment of Carbon Banks with the | | | | low-cost manufacturing facilities available with a |
| PATT Foundation. | | | | workforce in place for any social entrepreneur to |
| Partners Planners & Leaders | | | | take advantage of. |
| Today, PDA is the leading and most diversified NGO | | | | Mechai believes that social enterprise will factor |
| in Thailand, employing over 800 staff members and | | | | significantly in the pursuit to eradicate the world's |
| working with over 12,000 volunteers, with 18 regional | | | | dilemmas. Governments cannot do it alone, but he |
| development centres and branch offices located in 15 | | | | knows that NGOs cannot survive on handouts and |
| provinces in rural Thailand. PDA has pioneered | | | | the goodwill of volunteers; they have to function as |
| sustainable grassroots endeavours, marked by | | | | businesses in an increasing and competitive market to |
| extensive villager involvement not only as | | | | continue the great work they do. They have to find |
| beneficiaries, but also as partners, planners, managers | | | | ways to join together to achieve common goals |
| and leaders. The programmes are based on the belief | | | | rather than compete for dollars. |
| that local people are best suited to be equal partners | | | | Social entrepreneurs looking for a partner in Asia that |
| in shaping and sustaining their own development. | | | | can operate in variety of industries need not look |
| Thirty-one years of PDA's involvement have created | | | | much further than the PDA to forge a strong |
| significant change in the following areas: - Health, | | | | partnership with. |
| AIDS and Family Planning - Income Generation and | | | | |