Mechai Viravaidya (born 17 January 1941, ; ) is a former politician and activist in Thailand known for promoting condoms, family planning, and

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

awareness. Since the 1970s, Mechai has been affectionately called "Mr. Condom", and condoms are often referred to as "mechais" in Thailand. From the time that he began his work, the average number of children in Thai families has decreased from 7 to 1.5. He has been credited with leading efforts that improved the lives of millions of people.

Early life

Viravaidya was born in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

to a Scottish mother and a Thai father, both of whom were doctors and had met while studying in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He is one of four children. His younger brother, Sunya, is the founder of the Pattaya International Hospital. One of his sisters, Sumalee Viravaidya, was a journalist in the 1970s, writing for the ''

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

'' and ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

''. Viravaidya was educated in Australia at

Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...

and at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

of the University of Melbourne, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...

degree. In 1965, he returned to Thailand and in 1966, he started to work in

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

, emphasizing the use of condoms. In 1973, he left the civil service and founded a nonprofit service organization, the

Population and Community Development Association 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 ...

(PDA), to continue his efforts to improve the lives of the rural poor. He used such events as condom-blowing contests for schoolchildren, encouraging taxi drivers to hand out condoms to their customers, and founding a restaurant chain called Cabbages and Condoms, where condoms were given to customers with the bill. Next to the original restaurant, in Bangkok, there is a family planning clinic, one of several places in the Thai capital where poor women can receive pregnancy termination, a practice that is legal in the country per Section 305 of the Thai penal code but often perceived as illegal.Thailand
, in ''The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality'', 1997–2001 The clinic is permitted by the authorities due to the dangers of unsafe abortion caused by economic difficulties.

Later life

Viravaidya served as deputy minister of industry from 1985 to 1986, under prime minister

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda (, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988. During Prem’s tenure as prime minister, he was credited with end ...

. He later served as

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from 1987 until 1991. During this time,

appeared in Thailand, and he increased his efforts to promote sexual-safety awareness. A military coup in 1991 installed prime minister

Anand Panyarachun Anand Panyarachun (, , ; born 9 August 1932) is a Thai retired politician who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand for two terms, first from 1991 to 1992 and again for a brief period during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in init ...

, who then appointed Viravaidya minister for tourism, information, and AIDS. He was able to start a large, successful AIDS education campaign and served until 1992. At that time, he became the chairman of the Foundation for International Education, a nonprofit organization that serves as the governing body of the

NIST International School NIST International School (, ) is an international school located in the Watthana District of Bangkok, Thailand. It was established in 1992 with support and guidance from the Bangkok-based branch of the United Nations. A full International Bacc ...

. Viravaidya continued to serve as chair until stepping down in May 2002. In 1995, he was appointed an honorary officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

, for "service to Australian-Thai relations and contributions to the world AIDS debate". In 2004, Viravaidya again became a senator. In 2006, he won praise from the toilet industry (but criticism from the retail industry) for proposing that retailers be obliged to build a public toilet for every ten square metres of retail space. As of 2007, Viravaidya continued to oversee rural development and health initiatives as the chairman of PDA, now the largest NGO in Thailand, with 600 employees and 12,000 volunteers. On 29 May 2007, PDA was awarded the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $ ...

's Gates Award in recognition of its pioneering work in family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention. This award came with a grant of $1,000,000.

References

External links

Mechai Viravaidya
biography

Social Innovation Conversations, 24 June 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Viravaidya, Mechai 1941 births Living people HIV/AIDS activists People educated at Geelong Grammar School People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne)

Mechai Viravaidya Mechai Viravaidya (born 17 January 1941, ; ) is a former politician and activist in Thailand known for promoting condoms, family planning, and AIDS awareness. Since the 1970s, Mechai has been affectionately called "Mr. Condom", and condoms are ...

Ramon Magsaysay Award winners

Honorary officers of the Order of Australia Winners of the Nikkei Asia Prize

Early life

Later life

References

Further reading

External links