TINADA Youth Action Africa executive director

Origin of the name of TINADA


TINADA is named after grandmother ’Kristina’ the visionary matriarch of the founding family, whose unfettered quest for education, health, sanitation and sustainability in the newly independent Kenya (1950s) saw her toil with her children on her back over miles across the plains of Nyakach in Kang’ombe Village (Kenya-East Africa) to attend school, despite being illiterate, widowed and poor. The grandma 'krisTINA' (TINA) was a lonely, well-known God-fearing widow.

TINA is a Christian name shortened from KrisTINA, while the word ‘Da’ is derived from ‘Dana’, an endearment term for ‘grandmother’ in Luo Language. TINADA, therefore, is a portmanteau of TINA and DANA. The name is capitalized to pay homage to her memory. The memory of a fiercely loving visionary. The organization is championing the plight of vulnerable young people to enhance their holistic welbeing in her name-TINA-DA .


TINADA Youth Action Africa executive director

Our history


TINADA is a youth led organization with over 20 years’ experience working with and supporting young people. TINADA was founded and registered initially in 2001 as a Youth Group under Ministry of Social Services & later re-registered in 2014 as Community-Based Organization in Kenya to initiate, grow, sustain, upscale and replicate successful community health development programs to enhance the wellbeing of vulnerable young people.

The organization has grown over the years, both in terms of its scope of interventions as well in its geographical coverage, having recently (2021) opened up offices in Uganda.

TINADA was established as a youth initiative with the aim of promoting youth empowerment, education promotion, health services, Mentorship and peaceful co-existence among the youth and community in general. The organization is a Youth & Family Driven Integrated Initiative, using the family to family and Youth to Youth focused interventions to demonstrate and attain human rights and sustainable community empowerment through promotion of integrated Mental health, education Empowerment, Disaster Risk Reduction, Decent Work and Economic Empowerment .

As a youth-focused and youth-led organization, TINADA has a strong sense of its own identity that provides strong bonds between the organization and the young people it supports which connects to the leading ideas that underpin the work of the organization.