Kari is the Co-Founder of Sama Sama, a ground-up initiative that aims to redefine the image of low wage migrant workers and enhance support systems which enable migrant workers to pursue their aspirations. In the day, she leads a product team at a SaaS start-up which helps organizations tackle external and multi-dimensional issues with technology - from climate change, food security, health to human rights.

Triggered by her past work in foreign worker compensation schemes as an HR consultant, Kari started the migrant worker groundup Sama Sama in 2016.

Partnering with local NGO HealthServe, Sama Sama launched as a 3-day awareness campaign in a high-security dormitory to redefine the narrative of migrant workers as inspiring role models who contribute to social causes in their communities. Since then, Sama Sama grew the community of passionate individuals and volunteers from the migrant community who have created change for themselves and those around them.

Since March this year, Sama Sama continues to assist in mitigating the plethora of issues that emerged and evolved at every stage of the pandemic, from basic needs and dissemination of verifiable information to social support. Specifically, Sama Sama works with NGOs, private organizations and governmental agencies to support, train and build capacities of migrant community leaders to create sustainable peer-support systems to tackle emerging needs, especially in the area of mental wellbeing, through Basic Psychological First Aid (BPFA), networking and self-care programmes.

Kari believes in people development and potential, which extends to anyone who is looking to pave a better life of opportunities for themselves and those around them. Kari continues to collaborate and advocate within the non-profit, private and public sector, to improve migrant welfare and social mobility.