TRADITIONAL HEALTHCARE INTEGRATION NETWORK

WHO WE ARE,

1. THIN is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization working on sustainable development. THIN has its activities in Kenya, where we have many challenges which are tougher than anywhere in the world and there are not many national capacity to address the issues that are growing. Our role is to support and supplement drawing on our knowledge and global partners, and where there is a need, to take the lead in developing new opportunities and technologies relevant to diverse environments.

2. THIN believes that, first, increased participation and efficiency in medical and healthcare services delivery in the country can be attained at a lowered cost through the deliberate pattern of increasingly blending (integrating) traditional and cultural practices of medicine and healthcare with modern and cross-cutting science, aimed at solutions of national health and development problems. Secondly, through community based systems of health care delivery and providing education, research-training at all levels; the country can be assured of better and sustainable health care development. In addition, any combination of these measures might provide a more stable and higher health and protection outcomes to many people.

Mandate

3. THIN is taking the challenge to develop and improve skills and technologies based on local resources and management systems relatively unknown to “formal health-research” that will provide a wide range of products and services applicable across the communities in a multitude of environments and circumstances. Local incentives and community research and development aimed to give immediate solutions are being stimulated and supported by THIN and partners. THIN organization has programmes designed in partnership participation of local people supporting empowerment and economic development programmes using healthcare delivery strategies as a positive receptacle for them.

4. A structure THIN has adopted includes social, economic and behavioural studies to complement basic and strategic research. Through exploration in the knowledge base found in linguistics and cognitive science ensures enlisting of knowledge from a range of individuals. For example, the involvement of people in ensuring that the source of safe drinking water or medicines has to be exploited so that they know how to conserve them as sources of health - not of diseases, how to dispose of other wastes without giving rise to nuisance or diseases.

5. THIN is targeting communities and individuals as vehicles of change in the war against diseases, hunger, poverty and uncontrolled destruction of the environment and biodiversity including other natural resources through a formulation of participation and finding ways of utilizing indigenous and cultural institutions, knowledge, physical resources and technology for local level and national development. THIN is contributing to meeting the Millenium Development Goals (MDG’s) of the United Nations.

6. Our strategy has been planned on four pillars. • Reducing vulnerability • Improving access to resources • Responding to new technologies • Making markets work for the poor and marginalized through value addition and technology. Many times the poor have the volume market but they do not know how to put a compound or therapeutic agent into a flee-collar or livestock dip, or, encapsulate for oral therapy. They do not have the registration expertise or the marketing connections as we do.

MISSION THIN is a countrywide, non-governmental not-for-profit organization registered in December 2001, under the legal administrative framework of NGO Act, 1990, section 10, registration number OP218/051/9581/2148 under healthcare criteria.

To improve livelihoods through participatory generation and dissemination and application of knowledge in healthcare.

VISION THIN’s vision is health and prosperity throughout Kenya and beyond; a vision that recognizes the basic needs of health as and urgent priority, as well as aspirations to equitable sharing of the worlds wealth.