Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
BACKGROUND PAPER
COMMITTEES
In the case of THIN, many of the activities are project oriented. They require people from different disciplines working closely together towards a common objective. We need experts in planning and executing programmes, projects, activities, organizing and conducting demonstrations, writing, designing, publishing brochures, catalogues, identifying donors and stakeholders etc. Not all committee members would fit in many of these. They would be useful when it comes to conducting the projects and ensuring a common theme. However, some of these efforts are probably best left to the individual creative people.
THIN benefits from expanding the use of committees. We apply committees in every combination of scope, size, mission, authority and duration. These committees would build on the synergy of the Board Members, improve communication and buy-in, increased work (project) output, raise morale and provide a forum for personal development.
To achieve these benefits, THIN addresses both the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and other unique issues. When we do, we shall have taken another major step towards an open organization culture.
Committees are used to:
o Create new ways to address opportunities, solve problems and improve administrative process;
o Corporations, coordination and communication, particularly among people from different functions;
o Commitment to a course of action
o Greater productivity.
o Better use of peoples skills and abilities;
o Personal development of committee members;
o Higher morale among committee members
BENEFITS OF COMMITTEES
o Increased productivity and more efficient use of resources
o People can work on multiple committees (teens) and support several programmes (projects)
o Everyone understands and contributes to the whole mission, through committee meetings.
o Committees are frequently able to produce better results through synergy then an individual working independently.
o All other things being equal, committees will complete programmes (projects), assignments as fast as, or faster than Managers, Executives and employees using traditional approach.
BUY-IN
Committee members buy-in into and support their group’s decisions because they participate in making them.
The decisions are the product of consensus approach on which everyone on the committee contributes ideas and opinions. The committee develops alternatives and selects the most desirable one that everyone can support.
In the traditional approach, the Manager or Executive makes a decision and announces to everyone who is affected. Support for this decision tends to be lower. There is often disagreement between the parties.
COMMUNICATION
When a committee makes a decision, members know about it immediately. The team meeting is the communication medium. When members leave committee meetings, they know what they are responsible for doing and how that ties into everyone else’s assignment.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Another benefit of using committees is personal development. Committee members learn and develop skills in solving problems, listening, resolving conflicts and giving and receiving feedback. Committees provide people with opportunities to develop and demonstrate management and leadership skills.
COMMITTEE DIMENSIONS
Committees are not all alike. They are distinguished by five attributes:-
- Scope
- Size
- Mission
- Authority
- Duration
Scope
A committee scope refers to the span of its membership. A committee’s scope is narrow if its members come from a single programme/project or natural workgroup. If a committee draws members from across the organization, its scope is wider and it is referred to as a cross-functional committee.
Size
The optimum committee size is from six to eight members to be more effective, although a team of two to five people can often accomplish more than the same number of people working separately.
Mission
A committee describes its purpose, or what it is put in place to do.
Authority
The authority of a committee describes what it is empowered to do without approval.
Duration
Refers to the life span of a committee. It may be temporary or on-going and permanent.
COMMITTEE ROLES
Committee Structure
The most important role is that of a committee member; his commitment to the team and its mission.
This is measured by committee members showing up for meetings, carrying out assignments and observing the task and relationship process that they all agree to follow. When committee members lack commitment, the committee does not have a sense of urgency, other tasks will take priority over committee activities and the committee will miss milestones and completion dates. It will not be effective in accomplishing its mission.
Having something to contribute to the committee is also very important. For most members their contribution is their content or subject matter knowledge.
There are other things that committee members can provide besides content knowledge. They also have to contribute time to carry out committee assignments, such as conducting interviews, gathering information, analyzing data and preparing reports. In some situations it may even be helpful to have some committee members without content knowledge. They can visualize how things might be because they are not encumbered with the knowledge of how things are. These members do not know why they cannot do something and so proceed to do it.
Committee Chairperson
In most committees, one of the committee members becomes the chairperson. He/she may be appointed by the Board or may be selected by the team members. The job can be permanent assignment or may rotate periodically among the members. The chairman usually conducts the committee meetings and represents the committees or teams in the organization. The role of the chairperson is to facilitate the committee process, give the committee the latitude it needs not to tell people what to do.
Other committee members’ roles may include the scribe. The scribe is a member of the committee, usually selected by the committee members to record ideas and suggestions, keep minutes of the meetings and publish the team’s output. Since this is clerical activities, the scribe’s role may be rotated among the members.
However the fact that the scribe’s functions are not exciting and interesting does not mean the role is not important. Communicating committee progress and results keeps co-workers and the Board informed. Some committees identify requirements for other positions such as time-keeper or parliamentarian. There are no rules how committees divide responsibilities. The only objective is that each committee contributes to its mission and objectives.
Specialists
Committee members do not always have all the skills, experience, information or support they need. They may ask people outside to contribute. These people are referred as specialists. They may be Board members, suppliers, stakeholders, and employees of the organization or consultants. They meet with the team when needed and provide information or support, but they generally do not participate in the committee decision process.
Sponsor
There may be a need to identify a committee sponsor – also known as champions; they are typically managers or executives. Their role varies, but usually includes advocating the committees mission and recommendations, obtaining resources and help overcome internal barriers to get things done.
The sponsor is a committee resource but not the manager or leaders of the committee.
Facilitator
This is a role that is necessary for optimum committee performance the facilitations. This differs from the others in several ways: whereas the other roles focus primarily on the content dimension of committee performance, the facilitation focuses, exclusively on the two process dimensions, relationship and task. The facilitators job is to help the committee deal with relationship issues and to choose and use effectively the task process. The facilitator’s role differs in that it can be filled by someone outside the committee, by the committee chairperson or by committee members themselves.
The role of facilitator is important to committee success for several reasons. First, committees go through predictable stages of development as they form and begin to work toward their mission objective.
During these early stages, committees are not fully functional and at times may even be dysfunctional. Facilitators (trained) can recognize these stages and to intervene to help guide the committee through them.
Mature committees also experiences problems, project deadlines approach, old members leave, and new members join, assignments change, events beyond the committees control affect its performance. Sometimes committees just get stuck on a problem or issue. In these cases, they can benefit from the intervention of a facilitator (trained).
The facilitator’s job is to be completely impartial observer of the committee process, intervening only when needed to help the committee to help the committee reach its own decision and mission objectives. The chairperson conducts the meetings and the facilitator is present to provide assistance and support. If the facilitator observes relationship issues, he or she may intervene, providing guidance and direction. He may also provide a tool or technique needed to solve a particular problem. He may also help in preparation of meetings and provide feedback on the committees and chairpersons performance.
At times the committee may grow, passing through the normal committee development stage, becomes effective and productive. The need for an external facilitator diminishes.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (CSFs) FOR COMMITTEES
Successful committees don’t just happen. Several Critical Success Factors of CSFs are required in order for committees to achieve their mission objectives. Some of these factors are:
Mission: Committees need specific statement of their mission to provide direction and focus of their objectives. The committees mission should be congruent with the organization’s overall strategy, goals and objectives.
Staffing: Having the right people on the committee and giving them enough time to accomplish their mission. It is sometimes necessary to require other people to take part in a committee. This is often the case when specific people have the knowledge, experience and skills that a committee needs. In those instances where people do not want to be committee members, they can be designated as specialists and provide input to the team as it is needed.
Resources: Providing adequate resources for a committee is not to be overlooked. For committees with a broader scope and larger mission, resources include a budget for salaries, travel expenses, telephones, personal computers and fax machines. Funding for external resources such as consultants to design and conduct surveys, assist in benchmarking or facilitate committee meetings may also be necessary.
Boundaries: Committees need a clear understanding of what they can do and cannot do. Boundaries are the rules of the game. The mission statement, staffing and resources form some of the boundaries. Another boundary is also one of the team attributes: Its authority – In today’s environment it is probably better to be too bold than too timid.
Training: This is mainly from the practice and application of the skills gained. Training no additional tools can be provided. Adults learn best by doing. Never assume that training by itself will cause change. Important as it is, its only one of the Critical Success Factors.
Facilitation: Is the process of helping committees achieve their mission objectives through focus on their relationships and task processes. This is important and must be supported.
Support: Critical analysis of pet projects, processes, products, the organizations sacred cows (interest groups) in order to get a balanced and fair playground.
Measurements: Boundaries define the field of play; measurements tell the committee how the game will be scored. It is up to the Board to establish or approve measurements of success before the game begins and to ensure the measures tie into the committee’s performance and missions. Performance measurements show the committee how well it is meeting committee-operating objectives such as schedules or budgets. Mission measurements relate to the committees project.
A project improvement committee could measure the reduction in cycle time; a Finance committee could measure revenue growth, a project committee and measure project satisfaction results.
The Board is also responsible for making sure that every committee member’s performance is measured and evaluated against the mission objectives (tasks) and the results are communicated to the committee members.
So far, these are the general Critical Success Factors. In particular, committee members are responsible for the following:
Mission: Although the Board establishes the committee’s mission, the committee must understand it, believe it is important and accept it. One of the committee’s first steps is to renew its assigned mission. The committee members may want to restate the mission in their own words. If they do, they will need to review the restatement with the Board. If the Board has given them a broad mission, committee members may want to create a more narrow statement, to define the way they plan to go about accomplishing the mission or the specific area in which they plan to focus.
When the committee reviews its mission with the Board, committee members can also confirm their understanding of their resources, boundaries and measurements. Having a clear understanding and agreement up-front will help prevent the committee from going astray and will avoid disappointment and wasted time and effort later.
Committee Process: Is a second Critical Success Factor owned by the committee members and acts as a mainstay balance between content of their mission and the relationship and task process. One way that committees do this is by creating a list of operating guidelines and which may be referred to as a code of conduct or Aspired to Norms (ATN). They represent the behaviours that committee members agree will make them an effective team. A typical list of operating guidelines has from six t twelve items. It may show agreements to:
- Show respect for others
- Speak when no one else is talking
- Meet commitments to committee assignments.
- Focus on problems not people
- Follow accepted group problem-solving and decision process
- Be punctual
- Give assistance where necessary.
Flexibility: Flexibility begins with a willingness to ask penetrating questions, to challenge the way the organization has always done things and assumptions on which the organization always makes decisions. Flexibility includes thinking creatively to develop new approaches. If one approach to solving a problem, improving a process or turning around a competitive situation does not work, the flexible committee will try another one. Successful committees are willing “to think outside the box.”
In the case of THIN, many of the activities are project oriented. They require people from different disciplines working closely together towards a common objective. We need experts in planning and executing programmes, projects, activities, organizing and conducting demonstrations, writing, designing, publishing brochures, catalogues, identifying donors and stakeholders etc. Not all committee members would fit in many of these. They would be useful when it comes to conducting the projects and ensuring a common theme. However, some of these efforts are probably best left to the individual creative people.
THIN benefits from expanding the use of committees. We apply committees in every combination of scope, size, mission, authority and duration. These committees would build on the synergy of the Board Members, improve communication and buy-in, increased work (project) output, raise morale and provide a forum for personal development.
To achieve these benefits, THIN addresses both the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and other unique issues. When we do, we shall have taken another major step towards an open organization culture.
Committees are used to:
o Create new ways to address opportunities, solve problems and improve administrative process;
o Corporations, coordination and communication, particularly among people from different functions;
o Commitment to a course of action
o Greater productivity.
o Better use of peoples skills and abilities;
o Personal development of committee members;
o Higher morale among committee members
BENEFITS OF COMMITTEES
o Increased productivity and more efficient use of resources
o People can work on multiple committees (teens) and support several programmes (projects)
o Everyone understands and contributes to the whole mission, through committee meetings.
o Committees are frequently able to produce better results through synergy then an individual working independently.
o All other things being equal, committees will complete programmes (projects), assignments as fast as, or faster than Managers, Executives and employees using traditional approach.
BUY-IN
Committee members buy-in into and support their group’s decisions because they participate in making them.
The decisions are the product of consensus approach on which everyone on the committee contributes ideas and opinions. The committee develops alternatives and selects the most desirable one that everyone can support.
In the traditional approach, the Manager or Executive makes a decision and announces to everyone who is affected. Support for this decision tends to be lower. There is often disagreement between the parties.
COMMUNICATION
When a committee makes a decision, members know about it immediately. The team meeting is the communication medium. When members leave committee meetings, they know what they are responsible for doing and how that ties into everyone else’s assignment.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Another benefit of using committees is personal development. Committee members learn and develop skills in solving problems, listening, resolving conflicts and giving and receiving feedback. Committees provide people with opportunities to develop and demonstrate management and leadership skills.
COMMITTEE DIMENSIONS
Committees are not all alike. They are distinguished by five attributes:-
- Scope
- Size
- Mission
- Authority
- Duration
Scope
A committee scope refers to the span of its membership. A committee’s scope is narrow if its members come from a single programme/project or natural workgroup. If a committee draws members from across the organization, its scope is wider and it is referred to as a cross-functional committee.
Size
The optimum committee size is from six to eight members to be more effective, although a team of two to five people can often accomplish more than the same number of people working separately.
Mission
A committee describes its purpose, or what it is put in place to do.
Authority
The authority of a committee describes what it is empowered to do without approval.
Duration
Refers to the life span of a committee. It may be temporary or on-going and permanent.
COMMITTEE ROLES
Committee Structure
The most important role is that of a committee member; his commitment to the team and its mission.
This is measured by committee members showing up for meetings, carrying out assignments and observing the task and relationship process that they all agree to follow. When committee members lack commitment, the committee does not have a sense of urgency, other tasks will take priority over committee activities and the committee will miss milestones and completion dates. It will not be effective in accomplishing its mission.
Having something to contribute to the committee is also very important. For most members their contribution is their content or subject matter knowledge.
There are other things that committee members can provide besides content knowledge. They also have to contribute time to carry out committee assignments, such as conducting interviews, gathering information, analyzing data and preparing reports. In some situations it may even be helpful to have some committee members without content knowledge. They can visualize how things might be because they are not encumbered with the knowledge of how things are. These members do not know why they cannot do something and so proceed to do it.
Committee Chairperson
In most committees, one of the committee members becomes the chairperson. He/she may be appointed by the Board or may be selected by the team members. The job can be permanent assignment or may rotate periodically among the members. The chairman usually conducts the committee meetings and represents the committees or teams in the organization. The role of the chairperson is to facilitate the committee process, give the committee the latitude it needs not to tell people what to do.
Other committee members’ roles may include the scribe. The scribe is a member of the committee, usually selected by the committee members to record ideas and suggestions, keep minutes of the meetings and publish the team’s output. Since this is clerical activities, the scribe’s role may be rotated among the members.
However the fact that the scribe’s functions are not exciting and interesting does not mean the role is not important. Communicating committee progress and results keeps co-workers and the Board informed. Some committees identify requirements for other positions such as time-keeper or parliamentarian. There are no rules how committees divide responsibilities. The only objective is that each committee contributes to its mission and objectives.
Specialists
Committee members do not always have all the skills, experience, information or support they need. They may ask people outside to contribute. These people are referred as specialists. They may be Board members, suppliers, stakeholders, and employees of the organization or consultants. They meet with the team when needed and provide information or support, but they generally do not participate in the committee decision process.
Sponsor
There may be a need to identify a committee sponsor – also known as champions; they are typically managers or executives. Their role varies, but usually includes advocating the committees mission and recommendations, obtaining resources and help overcome internal barriers to get things done.
The sponsor is a committee resource but not the manager or leaders of the committee.
Facilitator
This is a role that is necessary for optimum committee performance the facilitations. This differs from the others in several ways: whereas the other roles focus primarily on the content dimension of committee performance, the facilitation focuses, exclusively on the two process dimensions, relationship and task. The facilitators job is to help the committee deal with relationship issues and to choose and use effectively the task process. The facilitator’s role differs in that it can be filled by someone outside the committee, by the committee chairperson or by committee members themselves.
The role of facilitator is important to committee success for several reasons. First, committees go through predictable stages of development as they form and begin to work toward their mission objective.
During these early stages, committees are not fully functional and at times may even be dysfunctional. Facilitators (trained) can recognize these stages and to intervene to help guide the committee through them.
Mature committees also experiences problems, project deadlines approach, old members leave, and new members join, assignments change, events beyond the committees control affect its performance. Sometimes committees just get stuck on a problem or issue. In these cases, they can benefit from the intervention of a facilitator (trained).
The facilitator’s job is to be completely impartial observer of the committee process, intervening only when needed to help the committee to help the committee reach its own decision and mission objectives. The chairperson conducts the meetings and the facilitator is present to provide assistance and support. If the facilitator observes relationship issues, he or she may intervene, providing guidance and direction. He may also provide a tool or technique needed to solve a particular problem. He may also help in preparation of meetings and provide feedback on the committees and chairpersons performance.
At times the committee may grow, passing through the normal committee development stage, becomes effective and productive. The need for an external facilitator diminishes.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (CSFs) FOR COMMITTEES
Successful committees don’t just happen. Several Critical Success Factors of CSFs are required in order for committees to achieve their mission objectives. Some of these factors are:
Mission: Committees need specific statement of their mission to provide direction and focus of their objectives. The committees mission should be congruent with the organization’s overall strategy, goals and objectives.
Staffing: Having the right people on the committee and giving them enough time to accomplish their mission. It is sometimes necessary to require other people to take part in a committee. This is often the case when specific people have the knowledge, experience and skills that a committee needs. In those instances where people do not want to be committee members, they can be designated as specialists and provide input to the team as it is needed.
Resources: Providing adequate resources for a committee is not to be overlooked. For committees with a broader scope and larger mission, resources include a budget for salaries, travel expenses, telephones, personal computers and fax machines. Funding for external resources such as consultants to design and conduct surveys, assist in benchmarking or facilitate committee meetings may also be necessary.
Boundaries: Committees need a clear understanding of what they can do and cannot do. Boundaries are the rules of the game. The mission statement, staffing and resources form some of the boundaries. Another boundary is also one of the team attributes: Its authority – In today’s environment it is probably better to be too bold than too timid.
Training: This is mainly from the practice and application of the skills gained. Training no additional tools can be provided. Adults learn best by doing. Never assume that training by itself will cause change. Important as it is, its only one of the Critical Success Factors.
Facilitation: Is the process of helping committees achieve their mission objectives through focus on their relationships and task processes. This is important and must be supported.
Support: Critical analysis of pet projects, processes, products, the organizations sacred cows (interest groups) in order to get a balanced and fair playground.
Measurements: Boundaries define the field of play; measurements tell the committee how the game will be scored. It is up to the Board to establish or approve measurements of success before the game begins and to ensure the measures tie into the committee’s performance and missions. Performance measurements show the committee how well it is meeting committee-operating objectives such as schedules or budgets. Mission measurements relate to the committees project.
A project improvement committee could measure the reduction in cycle time; a Finance committee could measure revenue growth, a project committee and measure project satisfaction results.
The Board is also responsible for making sure that every committee member’s performance is measured and evaluated against the mission objectives (tasks) and the results are communicated to the committee members.
So far, these are the general Critical Success Factors. In particular, committee members are responsible for the following:
Mission: Although the Board establishes the committee’s mission, the committee must understand it, believe it is important and accept it. One of the committee’s first steps is to renew its assigned mission. The committee members may want to restate the mission in their own words. If they do, they will need to review the restatement with the Board. If the Board has given them a broad mission, committee members may want to create a more narrow statement, to define the way they plan to go about accomplishing the mission or the specific area in which they plan to focus.
When the committee reviews its mission with the Board, committee members can also confirm their understanding of their resources, boundaries and measurements. Having a clear understanding and agreement up-front will help prevent the committee from going astray and will avoid disappointment and wasted time and effort later.
Committee Process: Is a second Critical Success Factor owned by the committee members and acts as a mainstay balance between content of their mission and the relationship and task process. One way that committees do this is by creating a list of operating guidelines and which may be referred to as a code of conduct or Aspired to Norms (ATN). They represent the behaviours that committee members agree will make them an effective team. A typical list of operating guidelines has from six t twelve items. It may show agreements to:
- Show respect for others
- Speak when no one else is talking
- Meet commitments to committee assignments.
- Focus on problems not people
- Follow accepted group problem-solving and decision process
- Be punctual
- Give assistance where necessary.
Flexibility: Flexibility begins with a willingness to ask penetrating questions, to challenge the way the organization has always done things and assumptions on which the organization always makes decisions. Flexibility includes thinking creatively to develop new approaches. If one approach to solving a problem, improving a process or turning around a competitive situation does not work, the flexible committee will try another one. Successful committees are willing “to think outside the box.”
K A R I B U ! ...WE ARE YOU!
The Development of an Indigenous Kenyan EthnobotanicalDatabase
The problem
There are two major threats to humankind today: the loss of biodiversity
and the loss of traditional knowledge about biodiversity. Both are issues
of utmost importance. Any species that becomes extinct is an option for
medicine, food, genes, etc., lost forever. Cultures with vast knowledge of
their plant resources also are threatened by extinction because of
acculturation. The traditional knowledge of plants has provided our
modern society with medicines, food, industrial materials and many other
advantages that we take for granted. Ethnobotanical research is providing
fundamental information in the search for new drugs, foods, pesticides,
natural products, genes and all kinds of chemicals. Ethnobotanical data
provides an extraordinary diversity of important questions for botanical,
ecological and anthropological research.
Purpose To manage the complex information involved in ethnobotanical research, a
database system is an excellent approach. Databases can be designed to
incorporate many of the intricacies of the real world. For example, the
relationships between scientific names and common names vary through
time, space and culture. Names come in and out of use. Species referred
to by a common name will change from one area to the next, from one
time period to the next. Through the use of the right relational data
tables and programming, it is possible to provide for those complexities.
Furthermore, with relational databases, many individuals can work
separately adding and correcting material that enhances the overall
information system. Upon searches, people can then discover information
and relationships novel to them from their own data entry and research.
For example, the biochemicals found in various species may be entered by
various people. Other individuals could enter the medicinal uses made of
various species in many different cultures. Still others could find through
their data queries a list of biochemicals found in plants effective in the
treatment of a certain disease. Further searches can find which ones
would affect various aspects of the disease process.
The purpose of this project is to develop such a database focusing on the
ethnobotany of Kenya.
Outputs and
milestones
The Ethnobotanical database will efficiently provide and preserve
fundamental information in the search for:
• new drugs,
• foods,
• pesticides,
• natural products,
• genes and
• all kinds of chemicals.
• The data in the database will provide an extraordinary diversity of
important questions for research in:
• botany,
• ecology and
• anthropology.
Impact and
beneficiaries
The immediate beneficiaries are the people in rural areas who have no
access or prefer to use herbal remedies to modem medicine. The project
will enhance transfer of available knowledge in herbal medicine to them.
The project will also provide essential information to the pharmaceutical
industry on plants with active ingredients and their agronomic practices.
Some of this knowledge will be translated into drugs for different diseases.
In other words the project will be bioprospecting for the pharmaceutical
industry. The project will also enhance conservation of plants being used
and some which might be under the threat of extinction.
Project
location
The database will be based in Nairobi, Kenya but will have activities in all
parts of Kenya namely western Kenya (Luo, Luhya), Central Kenya
(Kikuyu), Eastern Kenya (Kamba, Meru), Coast (Mijikenda, Taita),
Southern Kenya (Masai) and Northern (Turkana), Northeastern Kenya
(Somali/ Borana/ Samburu). Data will be collected from these
communities and curated in the database at Nairobi.
Collaborators Traditional herbal practitioners, tribal heads, NGOs, Kenya Medical
Research Institute, ICIPE, Kenya Agricultural Institute, Kenya Forestry
Research Institute, Ministry of Environment and natural resources,
universities and Pharmaceutical companies.
Duration 2 years initially, but updated regularly.
Item Cost (US$)
Collection /collation of herbal knowledge in all Districts in Kenya US$78,000.000
Computer hardware US$29,700.00
Computer Network infrastructure, Software
development and Database management US$20,500.0000
Institutional overheads at US$ 27,320.00
Budget
Total US$155,520.00
TRADITIONAL HEALTHCARE INTEGRATION NETWORK.
WHO WE ARE.
THIN is a countrywide non-governmental, non-profit, non-political organisation registered in December 2001, under legal Administrative framework of Non-Governmental organisations Act, of 1990, section 10, registration number op218/051/9581/2148 under Health criteria.
To improve livelihoods, through participatory generation and dissemination and application of knowledge in healthcare.
THIN has its activities in Kenya, where we have ever-present health and development challenges which are higher than anywhere in the developed countries of the world, and with no sufficient manpower and capacity to address these challenges.
A number of challenges face the provision of healthcare services for approximately 20 million Kenyans, the majority of whom live in rural areas. Yet health is simply the manifestation of development. Health provision and care are central in the overall development of the people. Health covers all aspects of life and is not merely a question of tackling medical problems alone. And, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is not possible to operate health and development policies separately in a way that is effective.
THIN recognises that there are important applied problems in the health management of human tropical diseases, food crops, the pests and vectors of livestock diseases, environmental pollution and the conservation and utilisation of biodiversity and other natural resources. And at the same time it also recognises that in several crucial cases, these applied problems cannot be satisfactorily be approached without further basic knowledge and the involvement of people. People have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their healthcare.
In the same reflection, THIN believes that, first, increased participation and efficiency in medical and health services delivery in the country can be attained at a lowered cost through the deliberate pattern of increasingly integrating (blending) traditional and cultural health and medical practices with modern and cross-cutting issues of science and technology aimed at solutions of national health and development problems.
There’s increasing appreciation of the advantages of integrating science and technology with traditional knowledge practices to yield mutually beneficial results from development projects. It is customary and common to analyse situations and plan actions for a society in terms of Human and material services.
However, the importance of value systems is too often neglected in planning for social and economic developments, for example the improper implementations of technology has led to the alienation of healthcare mechanisms, while value of systems in the societies concerned have been neglected. There is a great need for more humanitarian approach to health research and healthcare delivery aimed at the association of research with thorough consideration of the social- economic environment.
Moreover through community-based systems of healthcare delivery and promoting interprofesional education, training and research at all levals, the country can be assured of better and sustainable health and development; and, any combination of these measures might provide a more stable and higher health and protection outcomes to many people. Indeed actions in the health field can be instrumental in bringing about reform in other social and economic and political fields, and a more equitable distribution of resources, leading to improvement in health and other sectors. This is the upward thrust of human development.
THIN is targeting Communities and individuals as vehicles of change in the war against disease, hunger and poverty; through a framework of participation and finding ways of utilizing indigenous and cultural institutions, knowledge, physical resources and technology for local level and national development.
Consequently, THIN has set itself a double mission. First THIN is committed to bringing together communities who are the customers and clients and selected partners to undertake general and interprofesinal high-quality education, training and researching several critical aspects of health which would lead to the design of novel methods for the prevention and control of many disease conditions, pests and vectors and poverty reduction in a long range within an acceptable social, cultural and environmental framework.
That is, THIN organisation has integrated but functional programmes designed in partnership participation of local people supporting empowerment and economical development programs using healthcare delivery strategies as a positive receptacle for them.
Secondly, it has set itself the task of carrying out high level technical and scientific training of young gifted scientists and senior technicians from Kenya and other developing countries in the field of healthcare and related areas. It was the vision of THIN founders that such research training in a development field of international concern would foster the growth of a young scientific community in Kenya and other developing countries within an appropriate intellectual framework and relevance.
THINS research and training priorities focuses on clarifying linkages between traditional and cultural practices, and heritages, conservation and poverty. The THINS integrated programmes contribute to the development and transfer of diseases prevention, control, management and help to design appropriate technology and polices, pathways and strategies in delivery of effective human, crops, livestock, environmental services and products in different productive systems for employment creation, incomes and profits while promoting the traditional bonds of solidarity that have existed for centuries and giving science a meaning.
To identify the most appropriate technology for each programme and to find the best ways to integrate and deliver these programmes to the mainstream health infrastructure, THIN is undertaking extensive ‘’Health Systems Research’’, (H.S.R). A structure that THIN has adopted includes social, economic and behavioural research. Through explanations in the knowledge base found in linguistic and cognitive science ensures eliciting knowledge from a wide range of individuals which provides a more exciting approaches to combining traditional knowledge and modern science for each programme under local circumstances and tryiing to make most out of people, other resources and technologies while keeping an open eye throughout.
This general and interprofessional research-training entails gradually strengthening the capacity of the healthcare delivery system to meet the people’s needs, by progressively introducing and expanding through it specific programmes based on appropriate technology, and, mobilizing people to apply these technologies as much as they can. Through this approach. THIN is training health-workers and practioners in close relationships with the jobs they do. By strengthening, supporting, and improving skills and technology based on various local resources and management systems relatively unknown to ‘’Formal Health Research’’. Much of these endeavour means working together in partnership with people in other sectors on a selective basis, whenever and wherever it is needed; including at the grassroots level that until provide a range of products and services applicable across communities in the mutitude of environments
Priority areas for THIN activities include:
o Participatory approaches to knowledge generation and use
o Indigenous technical knowledge
o Knowledge and information pathways
o Dissemination materials for rural communities
o Alternative models for knowledge dissemination
o Rural resource centres (Telecentres)
Our strategy has been planned on four pillars:
-Reducing vulnerability
-Improving access to resources
-Responding to appropriate information, knowledge and technologies
-Making markets work for the poor who need help and that help has not come. Many times the poor have the volume market but they do not know how to put a therapeutic agent or drug into a flea collar or livestock dip and they do not have the registration expertise or marketing connections we do.
The approach THIN has taken is of open strategy. For each target problem, THIN is exploring several limes of study which hold promise as novel avenues for health promotion and management, and social –economic development. While not eschewing short-term strategies for medical and disease control, It has not felt it compelling to devote its best endeavours to fire-fighting efforts in order to stem the flushes of disease outbreaks. Much of these endeavours means working together with people in other sectors on a selective basis.
THINS mandate is to find new knowledge that will lead us to long-range and socially, economically, environmental and technically acceptable health management and development.
Indeed, these target health programmes that THIN has chosen for its priority attack are all challenges and issues that have already received consider able national, regional and international attention. Many of these have been the subject of practical control and eradication programmes on an extensive scale over the last several decades. If these were simple direct methods for the management and control of these serious dilemmas facing mankind and the increasing resistance to chemical treatment by disease causing pathogens they would have been found in that time and put into operation.
Nevertheless, because it’s preponderant goal in increasing small holder and agricultural production and better human health, through the prevention, control and management of disease and vectors and pests, and, It’s training of communities, young scientists and technologist who would perpetrate these activities, the THINS objectives are necessary complimentary to those existing international medical, agricultural centres, the vector control organisations (national, regional and international) and other applied institutes in the developing countries.
THIN is committed to supporting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) of the United Nations by increasing human health and poverty reduction.
Vision
THINS Vision is health and prosperity throughout Kenya and beyond; a vision that recognises the basic needs of health and as and urgent priority as well as aspirations to equitable sharing of the worlds wealth. We stand to lose much more than the battle for health if we do not do something urgently.
Goal
Empowering rural communities, simple citizens, health professionals and all concerned with knowledge and technology for improved decision making.
Core values in our operations include:
Commitment, Integrity, Efficiency, Transparency, Accountability, Flexibility, Quality and Local ownership.
Dated:
For further information
Please contact.
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Traditional Healthcare Integration Network (THIN)
P.O. Box 46665 – 00100 -GPO.
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: tradihealth@yahoo.co.uk or afyasili.org@live.co.uk
FRAMEWORK
TRADITIONAL HEALTHCARE INTEGRATION NETWORK FRAMEWORK
THIN dedicates sustainable resources and sharing of information that brings Advanced Knowledge, Practices and Products to the people who need them most.
Given the opportunity, indigenous peoples are quick to adopt new products and technologies and incorporate them into local culture agricultural practices and rational use of the environmental. As active participants in global partnership programmes that enhance holistic systems based healthcare, these community members are both students and teachers.
THIN’s activities centre around issues and agenda of global and regional concern.
o Human health
o Livestock Health and Productivity
o Food Security
o Biological Diversity Conservation
o Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
o Poverty Alleviation (Sustainable Livelihoods)
o Institutional and Individual Capacity Building
HUMAN HEALTH PROGRAMME (HHP)
THIN TO FOSTER
• Research into methods, practices, and materials used in traditional medicine;
• Investigation of the pharmacological activities of the plant materials employed and the active principles involved - through use of pharmacological tests, chemical structures, syntheses and probable chemical modifications;
• Multidisciplinary chemical studies and guidelines on safety and efficacy of traditional remedies used by the healers;
• Development of traditional medicine research protocols for adaptation to facilitate evaluation, comparison (with other pharmacopoeas) and follow-up of research results;
• Effective use of ethno-pharmacological data and plant-based materials currently used in traditional medicine;
• Documentation and dissemination of methods of traditional Medical and Health practices, including collection, preparation, dosages/posology, toxicity, antidotes etc;
• Rapid technological advances for setting up Natural products screening groups around the country capable of screening hundreds of thousands of biological/Natural products against specific agents;
• Curricula for teaching ethno-medicine and Healthcare in educational systems at all levels;
• A full set of guidelines, protocols and standards to ensure that those providing care are appropriately trained and had necessary skills, competency in their profession;
• Strategies to involve Traditional Health practices in disease, prevention and Healthcare
• Promotion of mobile clinics
• Favourable policies and working environment for traditional healers and other health providers;
• A multi-secteral approach to health-disease prevention and management including creation and maintenance of awareness;
• Provision of basic health services at all levels including homoepathy and self-medication;
• Platforms for continuous interactions between Health Policy Makers, modern practitioners, traditional healers, researchers, scholars and other stakeholders;
• Establishment of libraries, archives, herbaria, museums for traditional medicine and artifacts including demonstration/resource centers for learning;
• Promotion of income and self-promoting activities in the area of health;
• Promotion of referral systems where conventional medical practitioners and other health providers have a list of traditional healers and where they live so that they can refer patients for community based healthcare follow-ups;
• Technical co-operation through exchange of information, training and research/extension personnel between individuals and centers in order to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences of traditional/complementary medicine;
• Promotion of clinical audit and confidential enquiries;
• A help line and website;
• A strong rapport with the media, corporate sector, volunteers, individuals, Government entities, NGOs, CBOs and other stakeholders to work to understand the full range of needs for an informed healthy community.
FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAMME (FANP)
THIN TO FOSTER:
• Availability of good quality foods and balanced diets;
• Accessible clean safe water;
• Promotion and documentation of naturally occurring dietary food supplements and prophylactics;
• Promotion of edible nutritious but less known plants growing in the country;
• Correction of Nutritional deficiencies by using surveys and educational about better nutritional habits;
• Availability of improved seeds and genetic diversity;
• Access to reliable local sources of seeds to replenish damaged ones during calamities;
• Tailoring new varieties more closely to diverse local food preferences and markets;
• Breeding and germ plasm exchange with farmer to farmer, national as well as international partners to raise the nutritional value and reduce disease susceptibility;
• New knowledge to make work on crop improvement effective;
• Dissemination of new integrated knowledge, skills and tools to farmers in order to help them meet 'those' - threats instead of relying on monocroping which increases vulnerability of food production in the face of evolving pests, diseases and global climatic changes;
• Training materials on principles and production of small-scale seed enterprises;
• Combining indigenous knowledge (IK) of biopesticides with research findings in crop rotation/protection, stored products and preservation;
• Promotion of Value-Added to Agricultural produce for growth markets;
• Promotion of micro-loans to get started on their own farms and market access assistance to help them sell their surpluses and crops and generate income for their families;
• Promotion of local demonstration centers for learning and sustainability of the programmes
• A comprehensive food policy.
LIVESTOCK HEALTH AND PRODUCTION PROGRAMME
THIN TO FOSTER
• Evaluation, documentation and dissemination of useful traditional Veterinary/Livestock health practices and borrow from them;
• Promotion of useful indigenous knowledge of diagnosis and therapeutics that prove sustainable;
• Evaluation of natural products for control of Livestock pests and epidemics;
• Promotion and conservation of alternative fodder crops;
• Research on naturally occurring growth promoters and Livestock prophylactics;
• Ticks and tsetse vector research at various levels to ensure sustainability of integrated control;
• Integrated management and control of Livestock diseases and epidemics using disease vector G.I.S. spatial distribution;
• Quality feeds, Housing and Hygiene;
• Promotion of mobile clinics and camps;
• Promotion of demonstration/learning centers in the communities;
• Training and dissemination in Livestock management practices at all levels
PLANT HEALTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (PHEMP)
THIN TO FOSTER
• Use of organic fertilizers, green manure;
• Use of legumes and intercropping practices for restoration of soil fertility and soil biota;
• Increase genetic diversity leading to superior crops;
• A market-driven strategy for crop breeding;
• Participatory research and Gender Analysis (PRGA) for Agricultural Productivity;
• Use of botanicals as insect repellants, antifeedants, growth regulators (as pests and disease control agents);
• Use of natural enemies for plant pest and pathogens;
• Promotion of strategies incorporating indigenous knowledge (IK) to ease intensive weed, pest and disease pressures brought about by intensive market oriented agriculture,
• Integration of Biotechnology into problem research;
• Multi-institutional alliances for combating major threats to Agriculture in Kenya and beyond;
• Strengthening partnerships, networks of scientific professionals, indigenous knowledge and users of the technologies through selected trainings;
• A comprehensive Land Policy;
• Designing and laying of drainage systems in swampy stream banks, plant drought tolerant crops in sandy soils and plant water tolerant crops in waterlogged areas.
ENVRIONMENTAL HEALTH AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMME (EHACOP)
THIN TO FOSTER
• Filth and fly population dynamics and suppression strategies
• Environmental pollution reduction through composting pits for wastes of organic nature and construction of pits for human wastes;
• Environmental measurements, assessments and protocols for reduction of pollutants in terms of types, geographical scale and estimated values;
• Identification of threatened cultural practices that are supportive of conservation and utilization of biodiversity;
• Bio-safe knowledge and solutions to new environmental and biotechnology products;
• Cultivation of selected multi purpose botanicals for households as well as commercial purposes;
• Conservation and preservation of endangered species of botanicals used in pesticidal and medicinal purposes;
• Planting appropriate species of trees in semi-arid, arid, sandy and waterlogged lands, schools, commercial estates, churches, recreational areas for enhancement of recreational and aesthetic opportunities;
• Advocate non-cultivation on steep slopes, river edges and encroaching of forest estates to prevent soil erosion and loss of fertility;
• Promotion of forestry on rangelands to ensure forage for livestock and fuel for pastoralists;
• Promotion of planting of wood-fuel for industrial purposes, such as textile, medicine, fibres, oils, resins and building materials etc;
• Promotion of nursery techniques and protocols, propagation and distribution (community-based commercial nurseries, large scale propagation with partners) at different levels and scales of African Natural Resources e.g. home medicinal and nutritional gardens, community-based commercial production of Natural Products etc;
• Reliable ways to monitor soil fertility;
• Integration of farmers perspectives on soil quality, environmental degradation with those of other scientists;
• Management of soil organisms and monitoring their valuable contribution to human and environmental welfare and ecosystem health;
• Promotion of keeping of honey-bees for enhanced pollination and production of honey;
• Designing of new management strategies that enhance the soil ecosystem functions such as carbon storage, which reduces emission of green gases;
• Comprehensive assessment of status of medicinal and nutritional plants and products for healthcare provision;
• Promotion of sustainable utilization of resources and biodiversity by identification of stakeholders and co-management plans;
• Initiation of income-generating and self-motivating activities in the area of conservation and diversity;
• Demonstration and teaching centers for communities and practitioners;
• A comprehensive environmental and biodiversity conservation policy.
CAPACITY AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING PROGRAMME (CAIBP)
Overall objective: To develop on individual capacity and strengthen institutional capabilities through Health oriented Research and Adaptation (RAAD) for complementary Health Management strategies that are environmentally safe, socially acceptable/accessible by end users with full community participation.
THIN TO FOSTER
• Generation and dissemination of new knowledge and technologies through multidisciplinary programmes/projects and adaptive research strategies;
• Various trainings to Community Groups, Schools, Colleges, NGO's including Trainers of Trainees (TOTs),
• Facilitation of post training activities through grants, internships, exchange visits/programmes and specialized courses at all levels;
• Expansion of Networks for partner institutions;
• In house trainings for staff and seminars/courses for various participants;
• Strengthen trainings in Traditional Medicine, Environmental Health, Agriculture, Resource Management and Income generation at all levels;
• Rapport with media in order to continuously and correctly inform, educate the public and policy makers;
• Technical co-operation through exchange of information, trainings and research personnel between countries in order to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences;
• Comprehensive staff relations, management and welfare to motivate and sustain their morale.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME (COMPP)
Rationale
Participatory Methods for Action Research (PMAR) makes a strong interface in THINS' projects and programmes.
Such research strategies conducted with partner organizations, Government entities, NGOs, CBOs, individuals and the corporate sector in selected rural communities becomes the primary means of ensuring that valuable lessons learned about improving Health, Food and Nutrition, Managing Natural Resources, Agro-enterprises, the needs of the changing world remain relevant and what has been learnt can be readily adapted and applied in other countries for overall attainment of adequate HEALTH.
THIN TO FOSTER:
• Promotion of platforms for continuous interactions between health providers, traditional people, modern practitioners, farmers, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders;
• Development of methodologies for community participation in the programmes and projects e.g. signing of memorandums and agreements;
• Enhancement of policy legislation and other mechanisms for equitable benefit sharing/compensation for indigenous innovative knowledge in areas of Health, Agriculture and Biodiversity utilization;
• Strengthening the role of women in medicinal and nutritional plants conservation and safe traditional health systems;
• Advocating pressure groups and defined terms of trade;
• Initiation of incentives/award schemes for biodiversity conservation (rights, information, charitable, financial);
• Establishment of a set of principles for use that respects the ethical, legal and sociological interests of those concerned, in particular, the people living in the area where the projects are being executed;
• Promotion of lectures on ethnic cultures - past and present, including documentation, story telling on Health, Biodiversity and related subjects;
• Facilitation of large-scale disaster and emergency aid and anti/direct poverty reduction activities/programmes;
• Establishment of model village libraries.
THIN dedicates sustainable resources and sharing of information that brings Advanced Knowledge, Practices and Products to the people who need them most.
Given the opportunity, indigenous peoples are quick to adopt new products and technologies and incorporate them into local culture agricultural practices and rational use of the environmental. As active participants in global partnership programmes that enhance holistic systems based healthcare, these community members are both students and teachers.
THIN’s activities centre around issues and agenda of global and regional concern.
o Human health
o Livestock Health and Productivity
o Food Security
o Biological Diversity Conservation
o Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
o Poverty Alleviation (Sustainable Livelihoods)
o Institutional and Individual Capacity Building
HUMAN HEALTH PROGRAMME (HHP)
THIN TO FOSTER
• Research into methods, practices, and materials used in traditional medicine;
• Investigation of the pharmacological activities of the plant materials employed and the active principles involved - through use of pharmacological tests, chemical structures, syntheses and probable chemical modifications;
• Multidisciplinary chemical studies and guidelines on safety and efficacy of traditional remedies used by the healers;
• Development of traditional medicine research protocols for adaptation to facilitate evaluation, comparison (with other pharmacopoeas) and follow-up of research results;
• Effective use of ethno-pharmacological data and plant-based materials currently used in traditional medicine;
• Documentation and dissemination of methods of traditional Medical and Health practices, including collection, preparation, dosages/posology, toxicity, antidotes etc;
• Rapid technological advances for setting up Natural products screening groups around the country capable of screening hundreds of thousands of biological/Natural products against specific agents;
• Curricula for teaching ethno-medicine and Healthcare in educational systems at all levels;
• A full set of guidelines, protocols and standards to ensure that those providing care are appropriately trained and had necessary skills, competency in their profession;
• Strategies to involve Traditional Health practices in disease, prevention and Healthcare
• Promotion of mobile clinics
• Favourable policies and working environment for traditional healers and other health providers;
• A multi-secteral approach to health-disease prevention and management including creation and maintenance of awareness;
• Provision of basic health services at all levels including homoepathy and self-medication;
• Platforms for continuous interactions between Health Policy Makers, modern practitioners, traditional healers, researchers, scholars and other stakeholders;
• Establishment of libraries, archives, herbaria, museums for traditional medicine and artifacts including demonstration/resource centers for learning;
• Promotion of income and self-promoting activities in the area of health;
• Promotion of referral systems where conventional medical practitioners and other health providers have a list of traditional healers and where they live so that they can refer patients for community based healthcare follow-ups;
• Technical co-operation through exchange of information, training and research/extension personnel between individuals and centers in order to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences of traditional/complementary medicine;
• Promotion of clinical audit and confidential enquiries;
• A help line and website;
• A strong rapport with the media, corporate sector, volunteers, individuals, Government entities, NGOs, CBOs and other stakeholders to work to understand the full range of needs for an informed healthy community.
FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAMME (FANP)
THIN TO FOSTER:
• Availability of good quality foods and balanced diets;
• Accessible clean safe water;
• Promotion and documentation of naturally occurring dietary food supplements and prophylactics;
• Promotion of edible nutritious but less known plants growing in the country;
• Correction of Nutritional deficiencies by using surveys and educational about better nutritional habits;
• Availability of improved seeds and genetic diversity;
• Access to reliable local sources of seeds to replenish damaged ones during calamities;
• Tailoring new varieties more closely to diverse local food preferences and markets;
• Breeding and germ plasm exchange with farmer to farmer, national as well as international partners to raise the nutritional value and reduce disease susceptibility;
• New knowledge to make work on crop improvement effective;
• Dissemination of new integrated knowledge, skills and tools to farmers in order to help them meet 'those' - threats instead of relying on monocroping which increases vulnerability of food production in the face of evolving pests, diseases and global climatic changes;
• Training materials on principles and production of small-scale seed enterprises;
• Combining indigenous knowledge (IK) of biopesticides with research findings in crop rotation/protection, stored products and preservation;
• Promotion of Value-Added to Agricultural produce for growth markets;
• Promotion of micro-loans to get started on their own farms and market access assistance to help them sell their surpluses and crops and generate income for their families;
• Promotion of local demonstration centers for learning and sustainability of the programmes
• A comprehensive food policy.
LIVESTOCK HEALTH AND PRODUCTION PROGRAMME
THIN TO FOSTER
• Evaluation, documentation and dissemination of useful traditional Veterinary/Livestock health practices and borrow from them;
• Promotion of useful indigenous knowledge of diagnosis and therapeutics that prove sustainable;
• Evaluation of natural products for control of Livestock pests and epidemics;
• Promotion and conservation of alternative fodder crops;
• Research on naturally occurring growth promoters and Livestock prophylactics;
• Ticks and tsetse vector research at various levels to ensure sustainability of integrated control;
• Integrated management and control of Livestock diseases and epidemics using disease vector G.I.S. spatial distribution;
• Quality feeds, Housing and Hygiene;
• Promotion of mobile clinics and camps;
• Promotion of demonstration/learning centers in the communities;
• Training and dissemination in Livestock management practices at all levels
PLANT HEALTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (PHEMP)
THIN TO FOSTER
• Use of organic fertilizers, green manure;
• Use of legumes and intercropping practices for restoration of soil fertility and soil biota;
• Increase genetic diversity leading to superior crops;
• A market-driven strategy for crop breeding;
• Participatory research and Gender Analysis (PRGA) for Agricultural Productivity;
• Use of botanicals as insect repellants, antifeedants, growth regulators (as pests and disease control agents);
• Use of natural enemies for plant pest and pathogens;
• Promotion of strategies incorporating indigenous knowledge (IK) to ease intensive weed, pest and disease pressures brought about by intensive market oriented agriculture,
• Integration of Biotechnology into problem research;
• Multi-institutional alliances for combating major threats to Agriculture in Kenya and beyond;
• Strengthening partnerships, networks of scientific professionals, indigenous knowledge and users of the technologies through selected trainings;
• A comprehensive Land Policy;
• Designing and laying of drainage systems in swampy stream banks, plant drought tolerant crops in sandy soils and plant water tolerant crops in waterlogged areas.
ENVRIONMENTAL HEALTH AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMME (EHACOP)
THIN TO FOSTER
• Filth and fly population dynamics and suppression strategies
• Environmental pollution reduction through composting pits for wastes of organic nature and construction of pits for human wastes;
• Environmental measurements, assessments and protocols for reduction of pollutants in terms of types, geographical scale and estimated values;
• Identification of threatened cultural practices that are supportive of conservation and utilization of biodiversity;
• Bio-safe knowledge and solutions to new environmental and biotechnology products;
• Cultivation of selected multi purpose botanicals for households as well as commercial purposes;
• Conservation and preservation of endangered species of botanicals used in pesticidal and medicinal purposes;
• Planting appropriate species of trees in semi-arid, arid, sandy and waterlogged lands, schools, commercial estates, churches, recreational areas for enhancement of recreational and aesthetic opportunities;
• Advocate non-cultivation on steep slopes, river edges and encroaching of forest estates to prevent soil erosion and loss of fertility;
• Promotion of forestry on rangelands to ensure forage for livestock and fuel for pastoralists;
• Promotion of planting of wood-fuel for industrial purposes, such as textile, medicine, fibres, oils, resins and building materials etc;
• Promotion of nursery techniques and protocols, propagation and distribution (community-based commercial nurseries, large scale propagation with partners) at different levels and scales of African Natural Resources e.g. home medicinal and nutritional gardens, community-based commercial production of Natural Products etc;
• Reliable ways to monitor soil fertility;
• Integration of farmers perspectives on soil quality, environmental degradation with those of other scientists;
• Management of soil organisms and monitoring their valuable contribution to human and environmental welfare and ecosystem health;
• Promotion of keeping of honey-bees for enhanced pollination and production of honey;
• Designing of new management strategies that enhance the soil ecosystem functions such as carbon storage, which reduces emission of green gases;
• Comprehensive assessment of status of medicinal and nutritional plants and products for healthcare provision;
• Promotion of sustainable utilization of resources and biodiversity by identification of stakeholders and co-management plans;
• Initiation of income-generating and self-motivating activities in the area of conservation and diversity;
• Demonstration and teaching centers for communities and practitioners;
• A comprehensive environmental and biodiversity conservation policy.
CAPACITY AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING PROGRAMME (CAIBP)
Overall objective: To develop on individual capacity and strengthen institutional capabilities through Health oriented Research and Adaptation (RAAD) for complementary Health Management strategies that are environmentally safe, socially acceptable/accessible by end users with full community participation.
THIN TO FOSTER
• Generation and dissemination of new knowledge and technologies through multidisciplinary programmes/projects and adaptive research strategies;
• Various trainings to Community Groups, Schools, Colleges, NGO's including Trainers of Trainees (TOTs),
• Facilitation of post training activities through grants, internships, exchange visits/programmes and specialized courses at all levels;
• Expansion of Networks for partner institutions;
• In house trainings for staff and seminars/courses for various participants;
• Strengthen trainings in Traditional Medicine, Environmental Health, Agriculture, Resource Management and Income generation at all levels;
• Rapport with media in order to continuously and correctly inform, educate the public and policy makers;
• Technical co-operation through exchange of information, trainings and research personnel between countries in order to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences;
• Comprehensive staff relations, management and welfare to motivate and sustain their morale.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME (COMPP)
Rationale
Participatory Methods for Action Research (PMAR) makes a strong interface in THINS' projects and programmes.
Such research strategies conducted with partner organizations, Government entities, NGOs, CBOs, individuals and the corporate sector in selected rural communities becomes the primary means of ensuring that valuable lessons learned about improving Health, Food and Nutrition, Managing Natural Resources, Agro-enterprises, the needs of the changing world remain relevant and what has been learnt can be readily adapted and applied in other countries for overall attainment of adequate HEALTH.
THIN TO FOSTER:
• Promotion of platforms for continuous interactions between health providers, traditional people, modern practitioners, farmers, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders;
• Development of methodologies for community participation in the programmes and projects e.g. signing of memorandums and agreements;
• Enhancement of policy legislation and other mechanisms for equitable benefit sharing/compensation for indigenous innovative knowledge in areas of Health, Agriculture and Biodiversity utilization;
• Strengthening the role of women in medicinal and nutritional plants conservation and safe traditional health systems;
• Advocating pressure groups and defined terms of trade;
• Initiation of incentives/award schemes for biodiversity conservation (rights, information, charitable, financial);
• Establishment of a set of principles for use that respects the ethical, legal and sociological interests of those concerned, in particular, the people living in the area where the projects are being executed;
• Promotion of lectures on ethnic cultures - past and present, including documentation, story telling on Health, Biodiversity and related subjects;
• Facilitation of large-scale disaster and emergency aid and anti/direct poverty reduction activities/programmes;
• Establishment of model village libraries.
Join Us!
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
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
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Welcome To Traditional Healthcare Integration Network
INTRODUCTION
Kenya is facing unprecedented development challenges, but even bigger opportunities. It is a country with a wonderfully rich culture and history, and Kenya share a strong sense of natural identity it is blessed with a sounding natural resources and beauty.
Poverty, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and environmental degradation all confront the country. In the last three decades the number of food insecure people in Kenya has more doubled,
Over the same period. GDP per capita growth averaged negative 1%
Malnutrition in Kenya’s children rose by 70% of the period 1970 -2001
Per capita income of about $ 312 per year was lower in 2002 than $350 in 1975
Rural women produce up to 80% of the food but access only 10% of the credit, receive less than 5% of the extension service and own only a fraction of the land.
About 1 tone of soil nutrients are lost annually from Kenya’s soil because of cultivating the same piece of land year in - year out.
Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations has stalled in Kenya. 75% of the of the poor live in rural areas, sustaining their existence by farming small plots or breeding cattle, sheep, goats, chicken, donkeys or camels for income. Healthcare and agriculture are central to improving the lives of the poor.
THIN is forging closer links between research and control of tropical diseases, by finding and more view efficient ways of building research and development in Kenya-these are all complex and difficult links.
THIN development agenda revolves around Kenya, where our activities are carried out in partnership with rural and in other settlement populations.
We will not be able to face all these challenges alone we will need your participation and support.
VISION
THIN’s vision is basic Healthcare and prosperity throughout Kenya.
We are committed to this vision, focus on our work and remain motivated. It is a vision that recognizes the basic need for adequate healthcare as urgent priority. But it also acknowledges aspirations to an equitable share of the world’s wealth and prosperity, rather than small and declining share on which Kenya currently have to live and to content with.
MISSION
THIN is a national, non-governmental, non political, development oriented organization. THINS mission in Kenya is to improve livelihoods through the generation, dissemination and application of mission oriented, cross-cutting science and technology in sustainable healthcare delivery, agriculture and resources management. THIN’S research and training agenda is dynamic, flexible and responsive to emerging development challenges. Our goal is thus improve livelihoods particularly in rural and sub –urban areas where poverty is concentrated.
We contribute to this goal by generating, disseminating and applying knowledge involving – basic, applied and adaptive research, capacity building and training, rural development projects and delivery of products and services. We are focusing on eight specific areas on sustainable health and natural resource management.
STRATEGIC THEMES
THIN is focusing its activities on eight strategic themes, that impact on it’s mission and that impact on the livelihoods of the rural poor in Kenya.
Through supporting their own thinking, creativity and problem solving. The poor in Kenya who form 56% of the population include women heading households, adolescents, school leavers, the elderly poor, pastoralists and small scale farmers, the landless the handicapped and unemployed.
The Board members are professionals in diverse fields. Medicine, biological sciences agriculture, natural resources management, public affairs, education among others. They assist to plan and carry out multidisciplinary education, training, research, improve process, address opportunities and strengthen partnerships.
The executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Scientific Officer of the organization. He is the agent of the Board to ensure that the polices and mission of the organization are carried out. He sits on the Board as a full member.
OUR CORE VALUES
Quality in all our operations, commitment, integrity, transparency, accountability, efficiency, flexibility and local ownership.
COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTSOURCING
Collaboration is a key working principle for THIN. THIN focuses where it does not in anyway compete or pre –empty a work of the National Research Extensions systems (NARES) which includes national institutes of health, agriculture, universities, NGOs etc and where the products are clearly international goods.
THIN works with a wide range of collaborators, including International Research centers, Advanced research institutes, National research systems (NARES), Policy Makers, NGOs, Extension agents and community based groups (CBOs). The collaborating institutions, bodies, groups and organizations bring about networking through a strategy of learning by doing. Draft model agreements and contract documents are drawn to given the various activities in the different institutes and to deal with intellectual property rights of the indigenous property.
Regards,
Nahashon Sadat
Information Liaison
Kenya is facing unprecedented development challenges, but even bigger opportunities. It is a country with a wonderfully rich culture and history, and Kenya share a strong sense of natural identity it is blessed with a sounding natural resources and beauty.
Poverty, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and environmental degradation all confront the country. In the last three decades the number of food insecure people in Kenya has more doubled,
Over the same period. GDP per capita growth averaged negative 1%
Malnutrition in Kenya’s children rose by 70% of the period 1970 -2001
Per capita income of about $ 312 per year was lower in 2002 than $350 in 1975
Rural women produce up to 80% of the food but access only 10% of the credit, receive less than 5% of the extension service and own only a fraction of the land.
About 1 tone of soil nutrients are lost annually from Kenya’s soil because of cultivating the same piece of land year in - year out.
Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations has stalled in Kenya. 75% of the of the poor live in rural areas, sustaining their existence by farming small plots or breeding cattle, sheep, goats, chicken, donkeys or camels for income. Healthcare and agriculture are central to improving the lives of the poor.
THIN is forging closer links between research and control of tropical diseases, by finding and more view efficient ways of building research and development in Kenya-these are all complex and difficult links.
THIN development agenda revolves around Kenya, where our activities are carried out in partnership with rural and in other settlement populations.
We will not be able to face all these challenges alone we will need your participation and support.
VISION
THIN’s vision is basic Healthcare and prosperity throughout Kenya.
We are committed to this vision, focus on our work and remain motivated. It is a vision that recognizes the basic need for adequate healthcare as urgent priority. But it also acknowledges aspirations to an equitable share of the world’s wealth and prosperity, rather than small and declining share on which Kenya currently have to live and to content with.
MISSION
THIN is a national, non-governmental, non political, development oriented organization. THINS mission in Kenya is to improve livelihoods through the generation, dissemination and application of mission oriented, cross-cutting science and technology in sustainable healthcare delivery, agriculture and resources management. THIN’S research and training agenda is dynamic, flexible and responsive to emerging development challenges. Our goal is thus improve livelihoods particularly in rural and sub –urban areas where poverty is concentrated.
We contribute to this goal by generating, disseminating and applying knowledge involving – basic, applied and adaptive research, capacity building and training, rural development projects and delivery of products and services. We are focusing on eight specific areas on sustainable health and natural resource management.
STRATEGIC THEMES
THIN is focusing its activities on eight strategic themes, that impact on it’s mission and that impact on the livelihoods of the rural poor in Kenya.
Through supporting their own thinking, creativity and problem solving. The poor in Kenya who form 56% of the population include women heading households, adolescents, school leavers, the elderly poor, pastoralists and small scale farmers, the landless the handicapped and unemployed.
The Board members are professionals in diverse fields. Medicine, biological sciences agriculture, natural resources management, public affairs, education among others. They assist to plan and carry out multidisciplinary education, training, research, improve process, address opportunities and strengthen partnerships.
The executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Scientific Officer of the organization. He is the agent of the Board to ensure that the polices and mission of the organization are carried out. He sits on the Board as a full member.
OUR CORE VALUES
Quality in all our operations, commitment, integrity, transparency, accountability, efficiency, flexibility and local ownership.
COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTSOURCING
Collaboration is a key working principle for THIN. THIN focuses where it does not in anyway compete or pre –empty a work of the National Research Extensions systems (NARES) which includes national institutes of health, agriculture, universities, NGOs etc and where the products are clearly international goods.
THIN works with a wide range of collaborators, including International Research centers, Advanced research institutes, National research systems (NARES), Policy Makers, NGOs, Extension agents and community based groups (CBOs). The collaborating institutions, bodies, groups and organizations bring about networking through a strategy of learning by doing. Draft model agreements and contract documents are drawn to given the various activities in the different institutes and to deal with intellectual property rights of the indigenous property.
Regards,
Nahashon Sadat
Information Liaison
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)