created by Laura Keane

Who we are

Tinhinan is an Indigenous and Black led organization built by volunteers from diverse cultures and disciplines, united in advancing the rights, knowledge, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples across generations and regions. Our team brings lived experience, community leadership, and professional expertise to every project we carry forward.

Board of Directors

President | Co-Founder | MD

Traditional Tuareg education, in medicine, master’s degree in Humanitarian Action, bachelor’s degree in Education. Several indigenous leadership roles, including former chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. As a researcher: co-chair of the UNESCO Chair on Indigenous-led collaboration for biodiversity conservation, health and well-being; one of the lead authors of the IPBES thematic assessment on the links between biodiversity, water, food and health; co-principal investigator of the global research project Ărramăt ; and adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa.

General Secretary

Has been working in the IT field for 16 years. Very active in the associative environment during his caravan from Niger to Canada via Senegal, France and Switzerland.

Lead Research Committee

Doctor in Niamey, Niger, where she founded a medical clinic to help improve access to health care for women and members of her indigenous community.

Strategic Committee

Lead Research Committee

PhD in Management Sciences focused on Marketing, Strategy and Organization. Teacher, researcher and lecturer at the University of Douala. Responsible for numerous associations in Africa and Europe which fight for the well-being of populations. Director of the Ascomt research team.

The Ad Communication Committee

A certified Ontario teacher and IB-PP coordinator at Michaelle Jean public elementary school, Pauline is also an AEFO-U59 union delegate. Member of several non-profit associations operating in Canada and Africa. Member of the editorial board of Le Manager Africain.

Operational Team

Consultant

Leslie Cloud is a lawyer and researcher specializing in asylum law, international Indigenous Peoples’ law, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Chile, where she lived within a Mapuche community. For more than 20 years, she has been deeply committed to advancing the right to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. She is currently the Pathway 4 Coordinator for the Ărramăt Project, supporting research led by Indigenous Peoples.

Administrative Assistant

Originally from Côte d’Ivoire and deeply connected to his Indigenous heritage, Jacques-Elie is a graduate of the University of Ottawa in Economics and International Development. He is Passionate about community-centered work. Currently serve as a Communications Officer with the Ărramăt Project, where he support storytelling, knowledge sharing, and collaboration across diverse Indigenous communities.

Members of research committee

Consultant

Member of the Research Committee

She is passionate about multidisciplinary research, particularly in health sociology, political science and gender issues, with an emphasis on Indigenous Peoples. She has conducted several research studies for the Tinhinan Sahel Association and its partners, including UNDP, OHCHR, WHO, Danish Embassy.

Research assistant

Member of the Research Committee

Jacqueline Sow is a socio-anthropologist and PhD candidate at Université Nazi Boni in Burkina Faso. Her research focuses on artisanal gold mining in the South-West of the country, with a strong interest in community perspectives, gender dynamics, and the role of NGOs in the sector. She combines academic research with strong field engagement

Research assistant

Member of the Research Committee

Originally from Timbuktu and currently based in Burkina Faso, she works at the intersection of humanitarian action, research, and community development. She has field experience in the Sahel, particularly in the Tri-Border area, and currently serves as a research and community assistant documenting Kel-Tamasheq traditional knowledge on water management and responses to mining extraction in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger