Tribal Health Initiative

Tribal Health Initiative works in the Sittilingi valley and Kalrayan Hills of Tamil Nadu, focusing on empowering communities to improve their quality of life. It believes in a holistic approach to health, which includes improving socio-economic conditions while preserving the traditions and pride of the people it serves.

Major Interventions:

Health Services: THI operates a base hospital that provides affordable and high-quality healthcare to the local tribal population. The hospital now has an on-campus blood storage center, which provides life-saving blood for emergency transfusions without the long wait times previously required for travel to a distant city. It also focuses on strengthening community health interventions and is building a new facility to serve people in the Kalrayan Hills.

The community health programs include monthly field health clinics that visit villages to provide antenatal checkups, clinics for children under five, and health education. There is also a School Health Program where health workers teach students about health education, hygiene, and sanitation. The initiative also offers an Old Age Insurance scheme for cashless care for the elderly.

Sustainable Farming and Building: The Tribal Health Initiative promotes organic farming through a farmer producer company called SOFA. Farmers receive a patronage bonus based on the amount of organic produce they contribute to the company. It hosts sensitization workshops on sustainable building practices using mud, which helps to revive interest in environmentally friendly architecture and supports the local economy by using local labor.

Economic and Social Development: THI supports a women's group that has meticulously built a revolving fund through savings and grants. It also supports a training program that certifies women as master tailors and cutters, enabling them to break into a male-dominated industry. These women form a society called Vanavil to support each other.