Thanal

Thanal is a social development organisation working in rehabilitation, health, education, welfare, and mental health. It functions under Daya Rehabilitation Trust, registered under the Indian Trusts Act. Founded in 2008 in Vadakara by a group of local community members and professionals, Thanal today operates from its headquarters at Malaparamba, Kozhikode, with centres across Kerala and programme engagements in 19 states and 2 union territories. Around 20,000 professionals and volunteers sustain its work, supported by a staff strength of over 4,000. The name Thanal, meaning "shade," reflects the organisation's founding idea of shelter and dignity for people the system leaves out, with a defining commitment to holistic rehabilitation rather than relief alone.

Major Areas of Work

• Disability and Rehabilitation: Running an integrated ecosystem of early intervention, community based rehabilitation, special education, therapy services, and family counselling for children and adults with disabilities.
• Health: Operating community dialysis units, kidney care and transplantation services, palliative and geriatric support, health camps, and non profit community pharmacies promoting affordable and generic medicine.
• Education, Skilling and Livelihoods: Delivering vocational and certificate programmes in dialysis assistance, rehabilitation assistance, patient care, geriatric care, and computing, many free and reserved for persons with disabilities.
• Women, Children and Community Resilience: Supporting single mothers, mother-headed households, and vulnerable children through welfare access, education support, and policy advocacy.
• Advocacy and Public Engagement: Anchoring the Kerala Disability Festival, a state level platform advancing the social model of disability and universal design.

Major Initiatives and Programs

• Rehabilitation Homes, 18 centres supporting over 3,300 destitute and vulnerable residents
• Dialysis Centres, 91 units serving around 4,000 patients, alongside kidney transplantation and post transplant care services
• Community Psychiatric Centres, 107 units reaching around 10,000 beneficiaries
• Micro Learning Centres for Dropouts, 2,575 units supporting 1,40,000 beneficiaries
• Feed The Needy, 114 units serving 1,40,000 daily meals
• Early Intervention and Child Development Centres, 29 units for around 1,000 children
• WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), reaching around 70,000 beneficiaries across 2,800 units
• Pain and Palliative Care Centres, 12 units reaching 12,500 beneficiaries
• Housing Project, 3,200 units supporting 16,100 people
• Thanal School for Differently Abled, Kanhirode, recognised as Best Special Needs Training Institution by the Government of Kerala
• India's first robotic assisted paediatric gait trainer, launched for physical rehabilitation

Impact Thanal currently reaches approximately 0.45 million people a day across 19 states and 2 union territories, with a Vision 2030 target of reaching 1 million people a day. Its programmes span 20 distinct service categories, from dialysis and psychiatric care to housing and education, supported by over 20,000 volunteers and 4,000 staff members. Milestones since 2008 include the launch of destitute homes and palliative care in its founding year, dialysis services from 2011, kidney transplantation from 2019, and COVID era emergency response including street dweller shelters, food, and medical support across Indian metropolitan cities.

Leadership

• Dr. Idrees V, Chairman (health administration expert and former Regional Director, Kozhikode District Social Security Mission, Government of Kerala)
• Muneer VV, President
• T.I. Nassar, General Secretary
• Riyas Nelliyote, Treasurer

Thanal offers the opportunity to work with one of Kerala's largest grassroots rehabilitation organisations, with close to two decades of experience spanning health, disability, education, and welfare. Staff work within a multidisciplinary, community rooted structure that partners with government schemes rather than duplicating them, and get exposure to a wide range of service areas, from dialysis and psychiatric care to vocational training and disaster response, across a network with genuine national reach.