Community Resources and Partnerships/India General Support Project/Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Wikimedia Movement through the Participation of Historically Marginalized Communities in India

statusSupported

India General Support Project

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Wikimedia Movement through the Participation of Historically Marginalized Communities in India

proposed start date2026-08-01

proposed end date2027-07-31

amount requested (INR)1393340 INR

amount requested (USD)15744.74 USD

organization (if applicable)• Boli Cheto The Language and Livelihood Foundation

Universal Code of Conduct

Final Report

Applicant information

Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)

Boli Cheto The Language and Livelihood Foundation

Are you a first-time applicant? (required)

You are applying as a(n). (required)

Nonprofit organization with Wikimedia mission

Are your group or organization legally registered in your country? (required)

Yes

Please provide links to the following documents if they are available

These documentation can be provided in your local language(s), no translations required.

• Organizational website
• Detailed financial reporting and/or audits
• Documentation of the governance structure, board list, governance processes
• Documentation of the general assembly decision on your plan

Website: [1]

Main proposal

1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Wikimedia Movement through the Participation of Historically Marginalized Communities in India

3. Proposed start date. (required)

2026-08-01

4. Proposed end date. (required)

2027-07-31

5. Does your organization or group have an Affiliate or Organizational Annual Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)

Yes

[2]

6. Does your affiliate, organization or group have a Strategic Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)

Yes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ppYDMAqAyHAx2-ZRXh2dUfuwfWUWLWC3IhgHmFIz0xI/edit?usp=sharing

7.1. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)

India

7.2. If your project includes in-person activities, are there any international participants travelling to India for them? (required)

No

7.2.1. List all countries of participation. (required)

N/A

7.3. Will the project be transferring funds to any international participants? (required)

No

7.3.1. List all international participants receiving funding and their countries. (required)

N/A

8. What are your programs, approaches, and strategies? What are the challenges that you are trying to address and how will your strategies support you in addressing these challenges? (required)

Programs, Approaches, Strategies, and Challenges

Boli Cheto Foundation advances Knowledge Equity in India by addressing the systemic exclusion of indigenous, rural, and historically marginalized communities from digital knowledge creation. Our work responds to structural challenges including low tribal representation in Wikimedia projects, gender and rural participation gaps, dominance of major languages, and the rapid loss of oral and endangered languages.

Our work plan consists of two programs designed to transform marginalised communities from subjects of documentation into creators and custodians of knowledge & Promote Wikimedia in Higher Education.

1. Advancing Knowledge Equity through participation of Indigenous communities

Gondi and Kolami are indigenous languages with limited digital presence and fragile contributor ecosystems. Boli Cheto is currently supporting the community projects Gondi Wiktionary (growing 1500 plus words), Gondi Wikipedia (stagnant 400 plus articles) and Kolami Wikipedia(stagnant 400 plus articles).

Gondi and Kolami Wikipedia's are being built in Telugu Script and are currently focused on the Telangana & Andhra Pradesh regions of India.

While Gondi Wiktionary is being built using Devanagari script in order to serve the wider Gondi community across the central Indian states.

Challenges: Low Digital Literacy, minimal online content, low contributor retention, and the absence of structured community support limit their digital survival.

Strategy & Approach:

Boli Cheto Will Organize our flagship Wikimedia Trainings & Community Support Programs to strengthen the participation of Gondi & Kolami communities on Wikimedia. The following Programs are key strategies to facilitate community participation:

a) Wiki Warriors Training 

b) Wiki Warriors Photowalk

In-Person Community Training meetings will be held every month to facilitate community participation on Gondi & Kolami Wikimedia projects.

This approach strengthens linguistic representation while building community ownership of digital knowledge.

2. Wikimedia in Higher Education (Telangana)

Boli Cheto Foundation has successfully introduced Wikimedia in the Academic curriculum for students of higher education in the state of Telangana. Based on our book “Wikipedia - Telugu Literary Usage” Currently an essay topic “Wikipedia - Usage methods” for Telugu Literary documentation is being taught for undergraduate 1st year students, across the state in 3000 plus colleges for about 90000 plus students. 

Building Upon the Success of Introducing Wikimedia in Academic Curriculum for Students of Higher Education Across the state of Telangana, Boli Cheto Foundation plans to strengthen the participation of Higher Education students of Telangana on Telugu Wikimedia Projects. 

Strengthening the participation of students in the Wikimedia projects, aims to build content contributions on Telugu Wikisource & Wikipedia. For 2026-27 Annual year Boli Cheto Foundation will closely work with the following Universities:

• Osmania University
• Chakali Ilamma Women’s University

Challenge:There is limited awareness of Wikimedia as a participatory knowledge platform. Regional language projects such as Telugu Wikipedia lack sustained youth engagement, and women students face additional digital participation barriers.

Strategy & Approach: We will conduct two "Wiki Workshop for Students (WWS)" one at each University:

• One-day in-person workshop in each university (80 students each)
• Structured training on Wikipedia & Wikisource
• Practical editing sessions and live edit-a-thons
• Formation of student volunteer groups

This model creates long-term contributor pipelines, strengthens Telugu-language content by enabling the Literature students participation on Wikimedia, and lays the foundation for campus Wiki Clubs.

How Our Strategies Address the Challenges

Across all programs, Boli Cheto Foundation adopts a community-centered Knowledge Equity model that responds to structural barriers such as low tribal representation, gender and rural participation gaps, limited digital access, and the underrepresentation of indigenous knowledge online.

We envision Knowledge Equity Champions as “Wiki Warriors” - individuals from historically marginalized communities who document, create, and lead knowledge production and awareness creation within their own cultural contexts.

To operationalize this vision, we implement three core programs:

Wiki Warriors Training (WWT)

Capacity-building programs for marginalized and first-time contributors that provide digital literacy, Wikimedia editing skills, mother-tongue support, and training in responsible knowledge sharing. These trainings convert knowledge consumers into active contributors in underserved regions such as Tribal areas of Central India. 

Wiki Warriors Photowalk (WWP)

Community-led documentation of indigenous festivals and cultural practices. Participants capture photographs, oral histories, dance forms and traditions from within their own communities and upload them to Wikimedia platforms, ensuring authentic representation and preservation of endangered knowledge.

Wiki Workshop for Students (WWS)

University-based programs in Telangana that strengthen youth participation through workshops, edit-a-thons, student groups, and mentoring, in collaboration with institutions such as Osmania University, Chakali Ilamma Women’s University, and Kakatiya University.

Cross-Cutting Approach (Aligned with the Universal Code of Conduct)

1. Safe and Inclusive Spaces. All activities are conducted in harassment-free environments with clear behavioural guidelines, ensuring participants,  especially women and marginalised groups, can contribute confidently.

2. Mother-Tongue & Respect-Centred Training Training in local languages enables participants to express knowledge authentically and reduces entry barriers, promoting dignity and mutual respect in knowledge sharing.

3. Mentoring and Responsible Leadership. Hybrid mentoring supports new contributors over time, while leadership pathways prepare community members to guide others ethically and collaboratively.

These measures help build a respectful, inclusive, and sustainable participation ecosystem aligned with UCoC principles.

Intended Impact & Sustainability

Through these initiatives, Boli Cheto Foundation aims to:

• Increase participation of youth from marginalized communities in Wikimedia projects
• Bridge  gender and rural contribution gaps
• Digitally preserve endangered cultural knowledge
• Strengthen indigenous and regional language ecosystems
• Build sustainable community leadership pipelines

Sustainability Plan

• "Ko-Go Wikimedians User Group" will be strengthened to support existing Gondi & Kolami Works
• "Open Knowledge Club" at Osmania University will be strengthened to sustain the student activity

These volunteer communities will be formally organised with clearly defined, milestone-based goals to ensure accountability, leadership development, and long-term impact.

Our work ensures that historically marginalised communities are not merely represented in digital spaces, but are also empowered as creators, decision-makers, and knowledge owners, directly advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the Indian Wikimedia ecosystem.

9. What categories are your main programs and related activities under? Please select all that apply. (required)

Category	Yes/No
Education	Yes
Culture, heritage or GLAM	Yes
Gender and diversity	Yes
Community support and engagement	Yes
Participation in campaigns and contests	Yes
Other	No

Education

9.1.1. Select all your programs and activities for Education. (required)

Wiki Club, Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom or other Reading/Evaluating Wikipedia Training, Editing Wikipedia Training, Translation, Wikimedia Commons programs, Wikidata programs, Other Wikimedia project programs

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

9.1.2. Select all relevant audience groups for Education. (required)

Vocational, tertiary, or higher education, Teachers or professors

Other groups if any: N/A

Culture, heritage or GLAM

9.2. Select all your programs and activities for Culture, heritage or GLAM. (required)

Documenting or incubating languages on Wikimedia projects, Introducing new approaches to underrepresented culture and heritage, e.g. decolonising or reparative work; oral and visual knowledge; outreach to communities of origin, indigenous and first nations self-determination, Partnering with institutions, professional associations, and allied organizations to raise awareness of open culture, ethical sharing, and related issues

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Gender and diversity

9.3. Select all your programs and activities for Gender and diversity.

Bringing in women and/or gender diverse participants and editors, Focusing on creating content about women and/or gender diverse groups, including biographies, intersectional topic areas and/or adding images, Focusing on creating content about marginalized (underrepresented) communities and their knowledge, Focusing on knowledge equity by bringing in contributors from underrepresented communities, Building organizer skills in women and diversity groups

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Community support and engagement

9.4. Select all your programs and activities for Community support and engagement.

On-wiki training of community members, Off-wiki training of community members, Organizing meetups, conferences, and community events, Offering non financial support and services to community members (equipment, space, books, etc.)

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Participation in campaigns and contests

9.5. Select all campaigns that apply. (required)

Feminism and Folklore, Wikipedia Asian Month, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

10. Please include a link to or upload a timeline (operational calendar) for your programs and activities. (required)

[3]

11. Describe your team. (required)

Wikimedia Project Staff at Boli Cheto

Jyoti Devi Medhi, Executive Director User:Medhi jyoti

Nethi Sai Kiran, Chief Executive Officer (Project Lead) User:Nskjnv

Technical Support

Myadam Abhilash, Wikimedia in Higher Education, Telangana

M. Palani Kumar, Photo Journalist at PARI, Peoples Photography Collective

Advisory Council 

Dr Kiran Chakravarthula, Chairman of the Advisory Council, Associate Professor at VNR VJIET

Dr S. Raghu, Advisor, Associate Professor at Osmania University

Satya Sai Nath, Advisor, Policy Officer at Edinburgh University

Raju Kendre, Advisor, DEI practitioner & German Chancellor Fellow at AlexanderVan Humboldt Foundation

Naresh Babu Kunche, Advisor, Associate Vice President at RangDe P2P

Anil Uppalapati, Advisor, Senior Program Officer at WASSAN

Board Members

Athram Mothiram  

Sidam Suraj Kiran

2 Positions from Northeast - Vacant

12. Will you be working with any internal (Wikimedia) or external partners? Describe the characteristics of these partnerships and bring a few examples of the most significant partnerships. (required)

Yes. This project will be implemented through a strong network of internal Wikimedia collaborators and external institutional and community-based partners. These partnerships are community-anchored, trust-based, and capacity-driven, ensuring cultural sensitivity, institutional legitimacy, and long-term sustainability beyond the grant period.

Our partnerships are designed to:

• Facilitate ethical documentation of Indigenous knowledge and festivals.
• Ensure local permissions and community trust
• Integrate Wikimedia into academic and community ecosystems.
• Build sustained contributor pipelines rather than one-time engagement.

External & Institutional Partnerships

Central India

For grassroots Indigenous engagement, we will collaborate with:

• ITDA Utnoor
• Gondi Bhasha Parirakshana Samithi
• Kolami Sewa Sangham
• Utnoor Sahiti Vedika

ITDA Utnoor, as a government tribal development agency, will support community mobilisation, provide safe meeting spaces, and facilitate monthly in-person gatherings. These partnerships ensure continuity and sustained engagement within Gondi and Kolami communities.

Telangana – Higher Education Institutions

We will conduct Wiki Workshops for Students (WWS) in partnership with:

• Osmania University (particularly the Telugu Department)
• Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Women’s University

The Telugu Department at Osmania University will serve as an academic anchor by hosting workshops, supporting curriculum-linked assignments, and enabling Wiki Student Clubs. These partnerships institutionalise Wikimedia engagement within higher education spaces.

Technical & Skill-Based Partnership

People’s Photography Collective – Led by Palani

People’s Photography Collective is a practitioner-led initiative focused on ethical, community-centred visual storytelling and documentary photography. The collective emphasises informed consent, dignity in representation, and archival-quality documentation, principles that align strongly with Wikimedia Commons standards.

The training and field support will be led by Palani, a fellow with the People's Archive of Rural India (PARI), which is known for its extensive documentation of rural communities and cultural practices across India. Through his work with PARI, Palani brings deep expertise in documenting marginalised communities with sensitivity and contextual depth.

In this project, People’s Photography Collective will support:

WWP (Wiki Warriors Photowalk):

• Provide on-ground mentoring during festival documentation.
• Support volunteers in capturing culturally relevant moments responsibly.
• Ensure technical and ethical quality control before and after uploads.
• Help curate selected images for better visibility and encyclopedic relevance.

This partnership ensures that documentation is not only technically strong but culturally respectful, community-approved, and suitable for long-term open knowledge preservation.

Internal Wikimedia Partnerships

Within the Wikimedia movement, we will collaborate with:

• Telugu Wikimedians
• Tulu Wikimedians
• Local Wikimedia User Groups and Chapters

These collaborations will provide mentorship, cross-language support, campaign alignment, and peer review. We also intend to initiate partnerships with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Hub, Wikipedia & Education User Group, Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group, Assamese Wikisource Community, and Santali Wikimedians to strengthen technical and cross-language collaboration.

Partnership Characteristics

Across all regions, our partnerships share key characteristics:

• Community trust and local legitimacy
• Institutional anchoring for sustainability
• Capacity building rather than event-based engagement
• Pathways toward long-term volunteer leadership

Together, these collaborations ensure that the project is community-rooted, institutionally supported, ethically implemented, and sustainable beyond the funding cycle.

13. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select all that apply. (required)

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Provide for Safety and Inclusion, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Innovate in Free Knowledge, Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt

Metrics

Wikimedia Metrics

14. Please select and fill out Wikimedia Metrics for your proposal. (recommended)

14.1. Number of participants, editors, and organizers.

All metrics provided are optional, please fill them out if they are aligned with your programs and activities.

Participants, editors, and organizers

Metrics name	Target	Description
Number of all participants	400	N/A
Number of all editors	200	N/A
Number of new editors	100
Number of retained editors	50
Number of all organizers	10	N/A
Number of new organizers	5

14.2. Number of new content contributions to Wikimedia projects. (recommended)

Contributions to Wikimedia projects

Wikimedia project	Created	Edited or improved
Wikipedia	500	200
Wikimedia Commons	500	0
Wikidata	100
Wiktionary
Wikisource	500	200
Wikimedia Incubator	1000	500
Translatewiki	2000	500
MediaWiki
Wikiquote
Wikivoyage
Wikibooks	2	0
Wikiversity
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikifunctions / Abstract Wikipedia

Description for Wikimedia projects contributions metrics. (optional)

Other Metrics

15. Do you have other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required)

No

Other Metrics	Description	Target
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A

Budget

16. Will you have any other revenue sources when implementing this proposal (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required)

No

16.1. List other revenue sources. (required)

N/A

16.2. Approximately how much revenue will you have from other sources in your local currency? (required)

N/A

17. Local currency

Indian Rupees (INR)

18. What is the requested amount in Indian Rupees? (required)

1393340 INR

Requested amount in USD

15744.74 USD

19. Does this proposal include compensation for staff or contractors? (required)

Yes

19.1. How many paid staff members and contractors do you plan to cover with this General Support Project? (required)

Wikimedia Project Staff at Boli Cheto

Jyoti Devi Medhi, Executive Director User:Medhi jyoti , 10% of the time dedicated to  the project 

Nethi Sai Kiran, Chief Executive Officer (Project Lead) User:Nskjnv, 30% of the time dedicated to the project

19.2. How many FTEs (full-time equivalents) in total will be covered with this General Support Project? (required)

None

19.3. Describe any staff or contractor changes compared to the current year / ongoing General Support Project if any. (required only for returning applicants)

None

20. Please provide an overview of your overall budget categories in your local currency. The budget breakdown should include only the amount requested with this General Support Project. (required)

Budget category	Amount in local currency
Staff and contractor costs	660000
Operational costs	66340
Programmatic costs	667000

21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)

[4]

Additional information

22. In this optional space you can add any other additional information about your proposal or organization that you think can help us when reviewing your proposal. (optional)

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By submitting this proposal request you agree with the Institutional Partner Privacy Policy, Application Privacy Statements, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

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