POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL INC

Population and Development International (PDI) is a US-based 501(C)(3) that has been devoted to strengthening local institutions and providing emergency relief in for over 25 years. The current focus of PDI is empowering the rural poor in Southeast Asia by assisting local NGOs to establish strong community institutions, financial capital to facilitate micro credit, and training on how to be successful entrepreneurs.

The Village Development Partnership (VDP) is a serious endeavor to empower rural communities to eradicate poverty and improve their quality of life. It is a genuine partnership between the villagers and the sponsoring company or organization and has to do with shared opportunities and shared responsibilities. The gap between governments and their public sector obligation, and what is actually delivered, can be quite wide in emerging economies. This gap is filled by services provided by the private sector. Rural communities often cannot afford to pay for quality-of-life services normally provided by the business sector. As a result, rural communities are marginalized and suffer from malnutrition, poor access to healthcare, frequent migration, and inadequate resources for education. The Village Development Partnership empowers communities by establishing transparent, gender-balanced, and democratically-elected committees to implement a long-term plan for development. Through the initial capital provided by the sponsoring company or organization, the community is able to utilize the potential of micro-credit. The VDP addresses the gap in government-provided resources by providing access to low-interest credit and business skills training. This enables the poor to take control of the development of their own community with a steady stream of capital. This capital provides for other key areas in rural development such as health, education, and environmental improvements.

PDI is closely linked with the Population & Community Development Association (PDA), which has been one of the largest NGOs in Thailand for 35 years, and PDI is currently establishing a base of operations in Cambodia to implement similar programs.