LETTER OF APPOINTMENT
Dear All
I am very pleased, on behalf of the Board of Directors (B.O.D) of Traditional Healthcare Integration Network, a non-profit, non-political, non-governmental organization (NGO), to invite you to be a member of the Board of Directors, vide resolutions TH/10/08 of the Boards meeting on 29th October 2008.
The prime mandate of THIN is to refine traditional and cultural medical practices as well as health promoting infrastructures to make sense out of folk medicines, beliefs and therapies, leading to the generation of low cost and viable health management technologies relevant to the locale-specific socio-economic situations which will improve the health of the rural resource-poor communities and help to increase food production.
Social scientists are working in collaboration with biological and other scientists and the communities to ensure the development of culturally acceptable and cost effective health management strategies. This is to ensure that the adoption of technological innovations is facilitated by taking into account the needs and constraints of the end-users at the technological design stage.
Within this mandate, the THIN five principle objectives are to:-
(i) Undertake fundamental and applied research in selected health and development issues in order to identify their constraints, feasibility and the application of this knowledge to the problems of integrated health delivery systems as well as on the beneficial uses of biodiversity and natural resources as sources of drugs, therapeutics as well as genes;
(ii) Establish research cooperation with key partners, international research centres and advanced institutions throughout the world and with national research and extension and the communities themselves, to facilitate research and the testing and demonstration of health promoting technologies;
(iii) Provide local level and advanced training in research methodologies and techniques for doctoral, postdoctoral, masters, diploma and research experience levels as well as health delivery and farming techniques;
(iv) Provide an internal forum for accumulation, discussion and dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge through seminars, symposia, conferences, training workshops and the establishment of information, communication storage facilities;
(v) Promote the growth of the scientific, technological and extension community in Kenya and East Africa both by its activities and its special relationships with universities, specialized agencies, research institutions and other non-governmental organizations.
At the very beginning, THIN had not only an educational and training aim, but also had a primary interest in the pursuit of basic research in healthcare delivery systems and related disciplines in the discovery of new knowledge that might lead to the design of novel methods of health promotion and management, and in the encouragement and development of a young talented scientific and technical extension community. To many people in authority either as science policy makers or as development experts, this approach to science-based problems in a developing country of the world seemed far too removed from practical realities of the conditions in the country. The argument was that THIN (or any other similar organization) should devote itself to the application of existing knowledge to the solution of health problems affecting Kenyans and other developing countries of the world.
THE THIN APPROACH
THIN recognizes that there are important applied problems in the health management of food, crops, the pests and vectors of livestock diseases as well as sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources. But also recognizes that in several crucial cases these applied problems cannot be satisfactorily approached without further basic knowledge. Indeed, the target health problems that THIN has chosen for its priority attack; human, plant, livestock and environmental, health, conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity and natural resources are all problems that have already received considerable national, regional and international attention. Many of these have been the subject of practical eradication programs on an extensive scale, over the past several decades. If these were simple, direct methods for the control of these important pests, vectors, poor health, they would have been found at that time and put into operation.
The approach THIN has taken is one of open strategy. For each target programme, THIN is exploring several lines of study which hold promise as novel avenues for health management, while not eschewing short-term strategies for health management and development, it has not felt it compelling to devote its best Endeavour’s to fire-fighting efforts in order to stem the tide of flushes of health and disease outbreaks. Its mandate is to find new knowledge that will lead to long-range and environmentally acceptable health management strategies.
In 2003 when THIN began its work with the communities, it was an innovative experiment in the institutional-building in the less developed country of Kenya – an experiment that would develop national capabilities so that the potential contribution of cross-cutting science and technology to national development could be effectively realized, and one that would organize its programmes to address the practical problems of a developing country. Over the last four years, the experiment is proving successful and THIN has amply demonstrated its ability to carry out participatory learning to generate scientific and practical information relevant to Primary Health Care (PHC).
The results of this research will become the more important with the realization that high level technology and high cost methods of health promotion and maintenance relying solely on doctors, hospitals, medicines, drugs, pesticides are not accessible to the resource – poor rural communities. Furthermore, such approaches give no long-term answer to health care strategies. The present diseases and vector control measures seem to be breaking down for various reasons that include organizational fatigue, declining resources and chemical and pesticide resistance.
A principal driving force behind the genesis of THIN was to bring together within a single practical institutional arrangement a multiplicity of disciplines many of which were not at the time associated with modern health research in order to solve major health management problems without the already known drawbacks of classical approaches to health and disease management.
An essential step in the establishment of THIN consequently was to ensure that at the early stage, experienced scientists, technologists in multiplicity of disciplines; medicine, Agriculture, Forestry, Entomology, Taxonomy, Genetics, Biotechnology, Ecology, Natural Products Chemistry, Behaviour and several others all targeting their skills into a few carefully selected major health issues. The majority of these disciplines were not flourishing in the developing world. It was therefore essential that the organization was plugged into a network of individuals, groups, institutions, advanced laboratories in these disciplines.
THIN continues to focus on ways and means of optimizing educational, scientific and technical as well as extension training arrangements in collaboration with community groups and other partners all over Kenya (national), regional and international. By so doing, THINS research and other activities should truly be complementary and cost effective, within a setting of global scientific partnerships aimed at reduction and ultimate elimination of Africa’s priority problems of disease, hunger while keeping the environment and natural resources alive.
The constitution of THIN was therefore made to embrace a Board of Directors in its governance to help the Executive Director (Chief Executive Officer) in guiding work of the organization. The constitution of THIN provides for a Board of Directors (BOD) with responsibilities to;
(a) Formulate policies on scientific and management of the organization;
(b) Assist in planning, improve processes, solve problems and strengthen partnerships;
(c) Solicit and secure resources in terms of funding for THINS programmes and activities but the Executive Director retaining responsibility for coordinating the activities;
(d) Participate in recruitment and training activities of THIN personnel including volunteers to open a new future for our people;
(e) Approve financial and staff regulations of the organizations;
(f) Review and approve the organizations budgets and audited accounts;
(g) Elect new members of the Board, including the Chairman and Treasurer;
(h) Ensure the organization maintains a strong set of values. Those values which guide the day to day activities and support the vision and strengthen such other values as Ethics, Communication and Leadership. Members of the Board of Directors (MBOD) are members of the organization and their poise is honorary.
As a Member of the Board of Directors (MBOD), we would request you to;
Provide us with your curriculum vitae and four passport size photographs;
A membership fee of USD.15,000/- and an annual subscription of USD.40,000/- for this year.
Fill up and sign the declaration form here below and send back the original.
DECLARATION FORM
I _______________________________________________________ of Address _________________________________________________________________ hereby agree to become a honorary member of the Board of Directors of THIN organization with effect from ________________________________ having paid both my membership fee and Annual Subscription fee for the year 2008 willfully and faithfully, impartially and to the best of my ability discharge the trust and perform the functions and exercise the responsibilities devolving upon me by virtue of this appointment without fear, favour, bias, affection, ill-will, prejudice, malice to the end that in the exercise of the function and powers as such a member, I shall at all times be guided by the organizational and national interests.
SO HELP ME GOD.
________________________ ___________________________
Signature Date
WITNESS
________________________ ___________________________
Signature Date
As a member of the Board of Directors, you would be urged to take a long, reflective and realistic view of THINS future, scientific and socio-economic roles under increasing scrutiny in terms of relevance and costs.
Your dedication, loyalty, devotion in understanding clearly your dual responsibilities as a Scientist and an African is of greater magnitude now than before as far as policy, research training and implementation arrangements are concerned. Your indeed have the capacity to create and nurture a rich and vibrant intellectual and professional environment in situ for rigorous innovative research for development. Members of the Board are encouraged to make significant donations and gifts to the organizations objective as much as they can.
Looking forward to sharing ideas and plans with you in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Chapya
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THIN
cell: +254 722 331 147
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