Population and Development International

Population & Development International (PDI) is an independent international affiliate of PDA with representative offices in Bangkok, Hanoi and Bethesda, Maryland, USA. PDI was first incorporated in the United States in 1983 as a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization as specified under the Internal Revenue Code section 501 (c)(3). PDI has legal status in Thailand as an affiliate of PDA, and has recently received representative status from the Vietnamese Government for its office in Hanoi. PDI has been actively implementing programs in South East Asia since 1991.

PDI receives direction and support from its Chairman, Mr. Mechai Viravaidya. Its management structure is relatively flat with one Regional Program Manager overseeing the development of country programs in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In country staff include project coordinators, program managers, and administrative support personnel. At present, there are more than 20 full-time staff occupying positions with PDI.

The mission of PDI is to assist local institutions in South-East Asia to improve the quality of life of the rural poor by initiating integrated health, community development and environmental conservation projects. There are three separate programs

• The Community Development Program
• The Reproductive Health Program
• The Population and Environment Program

Each of these programs, like all the other programs operated by PDA, place a strong emphasis on local participation and institution-building with its local partner organisations.

PDI: An Integrated Community Development Approach

PDI address the health and development needs of the rural poor by assisting local institutions to create community based, integrated approaches to community development. Some of the goals of PDI's approach are to:

• promote effective community participation
• improve the programmatic and technical capabilities of local partner institutions
• improve the development process as well as the outputs of a project
• strengthen the capacity of local government agencies and community groups to provide necessary services
• promote cost-effective models that lead to opportunities for expansion

Community Development

Vietnam Family Planning Project Rural Women in Community Development The Cambodian Business Initiative in Rural Development Support to Vietnamese Women's Union Reproductive Health/Family Planning and Savings Group Training of Trainers for Participatory Community Assessment and Planning Training of Laotian Women's Union Staff as Trainers for Health Education

Reproductive Health

• From Village to Village: A Mobile HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Program, Vietnam
• Technical Support to Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Vietnam
• Pilot Project for Youth Health Education and Reproductive Health, Vietnam
• Youth Couples Clubs, Vietnam
• Training of Trainers for HIV/AIDS Education, Laos

Population and Environment

• Women's Health and Community Development in the Conservation of the Gianh River Watershed Forest, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam
• The Western Forest Complex Networking Project, Thai-Burmese Border
• Technical Assistant Support to the Cuc Phuong Conservation Project
• Cuc Phuong/Ba Vi Community Development for Conservation Project
• Pilot Study for Nature Tourism Master Planning, Vietnam
• Institutional Support to the Association of Protected Areas and National Parks, Vietnam
• Participatory Development Training and Community Assessment for Protected Area Authorities
• Community Outreach Training and Monitoring

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This page forms part of the Home Pages of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) Thailand. The site has been created by Cliff Ogleby with the assistance of many of the PDA staff and volunteers.