Centre of Adivasi Health (CAH)

Introduction

The Centre of Adivasi Health (CAH) envisions to serve as a community-rooted platform that advances Adivasi (Indigenous Communities) health through ethical research, inclusive public health practice, and the amplification of Adivasi voices and leadership in policy and academic discourse. CAH builds on over a decade of field based research and engagement beginning with participatory action research with the Soliga community on maternal health and strengthened through Towards Health Equity and Transformative Action on Tribal Health (THETA), Advancing Equity In Decision Making (AdEquAte), Centre for Training, Research, and Innovation in Tribal Health (CTRITH), IKYATHE, and First Mile. While not geographically constrained CAH’s current focus is in the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Kerala tri-junction and will foster strategic collaborations in Northeast and Central India.

Mission

Bridge the gap between public health research, practice and policy in Adivasi health through evidence-informed public and policy engagement.

Build community and discourse (i.e. field building) on Adivasi health and amplify Adivasi voices, gaze and Adivasi leadership in public health discourses.

Develop long-term social justice-informed relationships among researchers, practitioners, and Adivasi people.

Themes/Work Areas

Community-rooted ethical research

By conducting research CAH builds evidence for advocating for health system change and promote Adivasi scholarship and long-term knowledge generation.

Culturally grounded health practice models

By offering direct services CAH is improving field-level health systems based in Adivasi contexts, integrating research and practice, and providing culturally grounded care to address unmet health needs.

Strengthening Adivasi leadership in health

Capacity building and leadership is core to CAH's vision of co-leadership and epistemological justice. They anchor long-term sustainability and accountability to communities...

Public and policy engagement

By using diverse methods CAH disseminates community insights and research findings to engage communities and policymakers.

Centre-Level Activities

1. Adivasi Health certificate course
2. Art-based community dialogues
3. Internships, student engagements

Projects in CAH

IKYATHE

There is a significant evidence gap in tribal health governance in India. This study aims to address it by exploring effective mechanisms and contexts for indigenous community participation. In Phase 1, using Participatory Action Research (PAR), the team will co-develop capacity-building and policy engagement initiatives with Soliga and Jenu Kuruba communities in Karnataka. Phase 2 will evaluate selected tribal-led platforms across levels to identify pathways and social mechanisms that enable sustained, context-sensitive, community-led health governance.

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