Two years in.. what it means to us at Watipa.
We’ve made it! Well, this far anyway. Apparently most small enterprises do not make it to their second birthday… and on 11th June 2018, it was officially 2 years since Watipa was registered as a Community Interest Company here in the UK (and about 2 1/2 years since the building blocks were put into place).
So, the good news is that we are here to stay – to grow from strength – as we build on the strong foundation that we have established since 2016.
The last two months have seen the Watipa team expand, and it has been wonderful towelcome Kristen de Graaf and Dr Sam Mudieto the team in the London. Kristen has joined us as the Executive Officer, and Sam as the Outreach Officer, and both will be adding new perspectives, creativity and energy to both the social enterprise operations of Watipa as well as the administration of the youth development programme. You can read more about the very interesting and diverse backgrounds of Kristen and Sam from their blogs (links below).
In terms of our projects, we have been working closely with the International HIV/AIDS Allianceon a study forecasting the impact of the Mexico City Policyin Malawi and Cambodia. It’s an on-going project and we expect some really interesting results later in the year… watch this space! We also continue to work closely with IntraHealthto support national efforts to strengthen the capacity of health care workers to provide comprehensive and stigma-free HIV services.
We have been exploring new partnerships with social entrepreneurs and expanding our youth development programme as well, as we think through how we will grow and develop Watipa in the future.
Many of the Watipa scholars have been busy studying for and sitting their mid-year exams. They’re working hard and we wish them well for good results and great learning for the rest of the year! You can “meet” some of the scholars and read more about their interests and aspirations in their blogs (links below).
Keep up-to-date with our thinking, work and new ideas through our latest blogs:
- Malawi and UK: Raising the Bar – International Women in Engineering Day
- UK, USA & Malawi: Boats for women: Equity, the right to vote, and the sport of rowing
- South Africa: Meet a biotechnician: Watipa scholar
- UK: 100 years since women’s suffrage: taking stock and not being complacent
- Uganda: Meet a scholar: Aisha Bukenya
- Malawi: Medical Outreach Mission: #MOM’s the word for community care of the elderly in Lilongwe
- UK: Meet a team member: Dr Sam Mudie
- Kenya: Meet a scholar: Rose Omollo
- UK: Meet a team member: Kristen de Graaf