Indigenous Health International (IHI) is a United States IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to meet the health care needs of indigenous communities around the world. Indigenous Health International’s (IHI) mission is to meet the health care needs of Indigenous Peoples around the world by partnering with Indigenous communities to treat existing physical, mental, and social needs in a way that respects cultural history and provides for the future. The nearly 400 million Indigenous Peoples that live in over 70 countries around the world are some of the most marginalized and neglected people on our planet, accounting for about 15% of the world’s poor though only 5% of its population. IHI works to address both medical and social needs faced by this population by collaborating with on-site community stakeholders (I.E., health care providers, community leaders, liaisons) in multiple countries around the world (I.E., Panama, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Malawi, Kenya). Past and current work by IHI includes conducting thorough needs assessments within each country and community, and collaborating with key stakeholders, Ministry of Health leaders, and community members to determine high priority areas of focus. IHI is working to establish and maintain partnerships and collaborations to improve the physical and mental health of Indigenous Peoples through the provision of medical services (I.E., medications to treat chronic disease, treatment of common ailments and infections), eye and sunglass distribution, deworming and vitamin supplementation for school-aged children, and community health education. IHI is working to address social needs by finding ways to improve access to potable water and sanitation, addressing nutrition, and poor living conditions while respecting the cultural heritage and context of the environment.
