My hope is that when TEDxChange is said and done, everyone who watched and participated in the event will leave feeling moved to action. For me, Mechai Viravaidya is an inspiration, showing what business savvy, creativity—and a great sense of humor—can accomplish.

Head to the website for “Condoms & Cabbages” restaurants and you’ll see an unusual tagline: “Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy.” This enterprise, like so much that Mechai touches, uses innovative, humorous means to very serious ends, such as enabling families to plan their pregnancies and preventing the spread of HIV infections in Thailand. His organization, the Population and Community Development Association, is now one of the largest non-profits in Thailand.

We all know condoms save lives. But so do new approaches to talking about them, which is why I’m thrilled that Khun Mechai will be sharing his experience and innovative approach to this work TEDxChange for all us to learn from.

For more on Khun Mechai, please see the videos recorded as part of the PBS documentary “RX for Survival,” as well as this video where he discusses the Population and Community Development Association: