Condom, is what I want to talk about today. Surprised why it is such a big deal? Here’s why…
At TEDxChange, Thailand’s “Mr. Condom,” Mechai Viravaidya, walks us through the country’s bold plan to raise its standard of living, starting in the 1970s.
The first step: population control.
When the country cannot sustain its current population, rapid population growth leads to a contraction of resources. In 1974, Thailand had on average 7 children per family, and 3.3% population growth rate. Facing with this challenge, the government went to the people who were seemed as the cause of the problem and turned them into the solution. The condom campaign was pervasive throughout the country. When nurses and midwives only covered 20% of the country, the government quickly turned to its grassroots; condoms were made available at small village shops, floating markets, schools and even on the streets. Village shopkeepers were trained to prescribe the pill and provide condoms and 320,000 teachers were trained in 5 years. The condom campaign even reached the religion, and monks were blessing contraceptives with holy water in hope to provide psychological assurance to the people. In 2000, Thailand had on average 1.5 children per family and an annual population growth rate of 0.5%.
When HIV/AIDS hit Thailand, the program turned to the military, seeking facilities and helps to spread the information. The concept of “sick staff can‘t work, dead customers don’t buy” quickly gained the support from business community. Miss Condom Pageant was hosted; police program “Cops and Rubbers” was put in place. From 1991 to 2006, HIV/AIDS infections in Thailand declined by 90% and 7.7 million lives were saved.
The second step: poverty reduction.
To help the poor out of poverty, Thailand realized the need to cooperate with business community. “The poor are business people who lack business skills and access to credit.” This endeavor aims to empower the community and to turn the poor into barefoot entrepreneurs. A micro credit loan fund program was established, and credits were earned through planting trees. Efforts were also directed to educating people how to do business so they know how to utilize the borrowed money. Most importantly, revolution in education to end poverty took place in Thailand.
The speech is purely inspiring, informative and at the same time entertaining. Thailand has indeed set an example of how government use a bottom-up strategy to turn the tide of a country’s natural, but self destructive behaviour. In addition, Thailand’s condom campaign perfectly demonstrates how the government, the social programs, and the business community can work in conjunction to make the country a better place.
