TICAH - Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health

Our Impact

195,000

community equipped members with knowledge to stay healthy and exercise their rights

69,000

community members have access to HIV and SRHR services

2,900

people have positively shifted their attitudes and practices about gender norms

68%

of families reported a reduction in illness through healthier choices

FLAGSHIP PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT

TICAH’s Food as Medicine Program

In Kenya, 40% of all deaths are due to non-communicable diseases. These deaths are highly preventable.

TICAH’s “Food as Medicine” approach uses practical knowledge of indigenous foods and natural remedies to combat noncommunicable diseases, malnutrition and HIV-related infections.

Our network of community health workers share this knowledge, allowing low-income communities to strengthen their immunity and take charge of their own health. Our approach has reduced the frequency of common and opportunistic illnesses by 68%.

Image showing the 4 areas of work within TICAH

What We Do

TICAH works to achieve climate justice, gender justice, and holistic health.Our definition of health also recognizes the links between health, values and culture, the role of art in communication and healing, access to quality health information & services and the power of herbs and nutrition in overall wellness.
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Our work is done through four integrated programs:
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Indigenous Knowledge and Culture

Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights

HIV Management, Nutrition and Herbs

Art for Connection and Healing

Our Approach

Listening and Co-Creation

We start by listening to communities’ stories, cultures, challenges, opportunities, adaptations, and more. Through listening and discussion we co-create programs finding progressive ways to address Kenya’s most pressing issues.

Safe Spaces and Values Clarification

We create safe spaces for people to openly share their views, values, challenges and experiences without judgment or repercussions. In these spaces, we also clarify values that we individually or collectively have about certain issues or ideas. By clarifying values, we establish areas where we connect and where we need to find mutual understanding.

Facilitation and Training of Trainers

We are facilitators supporting communities to organize themselves, find local solutions to challenges, advocate for change and protect one another. We have developed several tools to support conversations and learning in workshops. We provide these materials to local trainers and facilitators to share within their communities after they are trained on how to use them.

Advocacy and Celebration

We raise our voices to advocate for better laws, policies and practices to protect rights, access to holistic health services, freedom of expression, indigenous culture, sexuality, reproductive health. We celebrate the beauty and diversity of ideas, ethnicities, religions, sexuality, music, art, genders, indigenous cultures, and traditions as expressions of a healthy society