Healthy Thinking international
Together for change
Healthy Thinking International
Healthy Thinking International is a Swedish based registered non-profit organization which aims at addressing issues of health, both physically and mentally. We work with social and economic challenges facing underprivileged families mainly in Africa, especially the young.
Our goal is to work towards capacity building in the above mentioned areas. By strengthening the individual with knowledge and life-skill education we belive in reaching self-sustainablity and giving young people a better chance to succeed in life.
WHAT WE DO
Education
Education is key to good future and it can be one of the ways out of poverty. We work to promote a high attendence in school by trying to identify and eliminate risk factors that may cause absentism. Curently some of the identified risk factors we work with is high prevalence of drug and substance abuse among children and teenagers,lack of hygiene facilities and sanitary products for girls.
Physical health Education
In some of the informal settlements areas we work families have no access to heath care due to tough economical conditions, our organisation nurses and CPR-instructors have stepped up to teach basic healthcare skills and CPR-course to all i.e students, teachers and schools staff.
Drug and substance abuse prevention
We belive that every child deserve a life free from drugs and substance abuse. We want to pass knowledge to the students so that they can make healthy choices when they are faced with drugs and substances. We strive to educate and equip both students and teachers with enough knowledge to be able to make good decisions which will impact them in a postive way.
We work with a manual that consists of 10 modules. The modules contain both theory and practical exercises, ending with a certification process where the students that are done with the manual become Healthy Thinking ambassadors. The ambassador will support new students and also spread knowledge to family and friends.
The manual works strictly accordingly to the UNODC/WHO international standards on Drug Use Prevetion.
Women empowerment
Supporting girls rights to education is part of equality work worldwide. A major obstacle for many girls to complete their education and be able to get 100% attendance is the lack of menstrual protection. In a life where financial resources are extremely limited, menstrual protection often becomes a low priority. The girls school attendace if affected by menstruation hence missing large parts of their schooling. Healthy Thinking has several projects in schools that aims to provide sustainable access to sanitary pads in the schools. We teach on how to make re-usable fabric sanitary pads and provide sewing machine for sustainability
Sports Development
Sports is one of the best tools available to promote health, a sense of connection and belonging. Seeing children and young people particularly in vulnerable areas participating in sports activities as a way to a healthier lifestyle gives hope. Sports context is where by children and young people have adult/instructors as a guide to guide and provide meaningful free time in an otherwise risky environment where drugs and crime are constantly knocking on the door. At the moment we are focusing in boxing, football and dancing.
life skills and development
We offer lifeskills trainning such as basic computer knowledge, photography, cooking and sewing to young people who for various reasons can not attend school, By giving these skills the young peolpe gives them an opportunity of self-sustainability by starting a small bussiness with the skills.
International Exchange
Exchanging experiences between countries and different cultures can be enriching and good incentive for both students/teachers. We are encourging our schools in Kenya to collaborate with other regarding our drug prevention programs. For example we organised a joint march with various schools working with our program to strengthen each other. We also look positively on future collaborations between our schools in Kenya and our schools in Nigeria. Drug problem is a global issue that extends across all national borders and we want to encourage the students in our Healthy Thinking clubs to exchange experiences and knowledge with each other to strengthen everyday life free from drugs and crime.
Mental Health Education
Mental health issues is an area of concern, where many children and young people living in poverty and vulnerable areas are particularly affected. We collaborate with psychology students in Nairobi who offer councelling and support in our centre to youths/young aldults in some of in Nairobi.
Solar cells
Lack of electricity limits the possibilities of lighting the classrooms hence limiting the study hours. Over the years, we have worked to ensure that the schools and their surrounding environment, such as the schoolyard are provided with solarcell lighting. The lighting has made longer school days possible, brought opportunities for activities, early in the morning and late evenings i.e studying and doing homework in a serin enviroment compared to their residence. The school enviroment often functions as a safety net for children and young people.
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