Samajika is a word from Sri Lanka, in Sinhala, that translates into English meaning equal members. At Watipa we refer to the founding members of Watipa as Samajikas, embracing the diversity of the cultural and geographical reach of Watipa as well as a commitment to our egalitarian and collaborative way of working.
You can meet the Watipa Samajikas by watching short profile films on Watipa’s YouTube channel – and you can read more about the skills and experience of Samajikas on our website.
The founders of Watipa are Michelle Aitken, Karin Alexander, Maureen Leah Chirwa, Valerie Delpech, Taghreed El Hajj, Kathy Lowndes, Saku Mapa, Lucy Stackpool-Moore and Margaret Wazakili.
As you can see, the Watipa Samajikas all look very different!
Last week a Strategic Master Plan for the town of Harrietville in Australia was launched, which identified priorities for action and was owned by the local community. In short, it is a collaborative vision for the town, built as the product of a valuable and collaborative journey, to protect a town that faced a very real threat of decline due to climate shocks.