From Condoms to Cabbages

In Thailand, a condom is called a "Mechai". Mechai Viravaidya, Thailand's Condom King, has used this most anatomically suggestive contraceptive device to turn the conventional family planning establishment on its head. First came condom blowing contests, then T-shirts with condom shrouded anthropomorphic penises. Then condom key rings followed by a Cabbages and Condoms restaurant. When it comes to condoms, no one has been more creative than the Condom King.

To equate Mechai with condoms and family planning alone underestimates the man and fails to capture his essence. Mechai Viravaidya is engaged in a relentless pursuit to improve the well-being of the poor by giving them the tools to lead a fruitful and productive life. His achievements in family planning, AIDS prevention, and rural development are a means to an end — the alleviation of poverty in Thailand.

Mechai's journey From Condoms to Cabbages — from his roots in family planning to his goal of poverty alleviation — has spanned 47 years. Along the way, he has been labeled a visionary iconoclast and cheerful revolutionary. He is also an ordinary man from modest origins. This book will shed some light on both Mechais.

Fully illustrated with many photographs