People

Founders: 

Timothy Weldon, PhD,

Co-Founder of aibia.

Executive Director of aibia global 

Research Director at aibia think tank 

Tim is an anthropologist, educator, and social entrepreneur whose work brings together critical research, community-based practice, alternative education, and organizational management. His background spans nonprofit leadership, university teaching, program development, and multi-country project management across Europe, Africa, and North America.

He is the co-founder and executive director of aibia and leads its educational and research vision across Italy, Sierra Leone, and beyond. His work focuses on autonomy, alternative economies, democracy, resistance, and critical reimaginative theory, with a strong commitment to building community-rooted, experiential, and transformative forms of learning and living. At aibia, he is focused on developing living laboratories, expanding inclusive educational opportunities, and helping create practical alternatives to dominant social and economic systems.

Abu Bakarr Conteh (Yapo), 

Co-Founder of aibia

aibia Sierra Leone Country Manager 

Yapo has a professional background in community development and public health. His experience spans education, environmental health, youth empowerment, and paralegal practice, alongside expertise as an ICT and social entrepreneurship developer who uses digital innovation to tackle social challenges.

He has extensive experience working with local communities to design and deliver initiatives focused on skills development, health education, legal awareness, and sustainable development. Through his leadership at aibia, he is dedicated to empowering young people, strengthening community-led initiatives, and advancing inclusive, technology-driven development across Sierra Leone.

Italy:

Sarah Ruth Sippel, PhD
Director of Academic Programs, aibia Italy
Co-founder, aibia Italy.

Sarah Ruth Sippel is a geographer, educator, and researcher whose work focuses on global food systems, rural transformation, land, and alternative approaches to economy and sustainability. Her experience spans university teaching, research leadership, curriculum design, and international project development across Europe, Australia, North America, and North Africa.

She is Professor of Economic Geography and Globalization Studies at the University of Münster and co-founder of aibia Italia, where she helps lead the organization’s academic vision and educational programs. Through her work at aibia, she is dedicated to building community-rooted, experiential, and critical forms of learning that connect academic research with lived practice, sustainability, and the reimagining of higher education. 

Advisory Board

• Cathy Albisa (New York, USA) — Constitutional and human rights lawyer; co-founder of the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI); longtime work at the intersection of economic/social rights, racial justice, and community-led advocacy.

• Andrej Grubačić (California Institute of Integral Studies, USA) — Professor and Chair in Anthropology & Social Change at CIIS; world-systems historian and anarchist theorist; editorial leadership connected to the Journal of World-Systems Research.

• Dina Bolokan — Sociologist (PhD); has researched/taught at the Centre for Gender Studies, University of Basel; work focuses on political economy of labor migration and agricultural labor regimes in Europe.

• Daniel M. Goldstein (Rutgers University, USA) — Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Rutgers; political and legal anthropologist working on security, democracy, human rights, law/violence, and social justice (Latin America and the U.S.).

• Hilary Oliva Faxon (University of Montana, USA) — Assistant Professor of Environmental Social Science at the University of Montana; directs the International Conservation & Development Program; research at the intersection of environment, development, technology, and social justice.

• Steven Cuzner (Sweden) — Artist, musician, writer, and translator; associated with the radio-fanzine SLUTET; also works in education and healthcare contexts.

History...

aibia was set up in 2010 following a trip to Sierra Leone by tim weldon and the subsequent meeting of abubakar conteh (yapo) in the city of Makeni.

In a planning session for our project, 2010.

During that trip a number of opportunities were identified for economic and social change.  Despite numerous ups and downs since then, we have found ways to continue to try to work on establishing projects on the ground that work towards new and more progressive social and economic avenues.


For a further in depth history of this endeavor, please see walkinglion.org