Community Resources and Partnerships/India General Support Project/Wikimedians of Kerala User Group Annual Plan - 2026

statusSupported

India General Support Project

Wikimedians of Kerala User Group Annual Plan - 2026

proposed start date2026-01-01

proposed end date2026-12-31

amount requested (INR)1825344 INR

amount requested (USD)21174 USD

amount recommended (INR)1825344 INR

amount recommended (USD)21174

organization (if applicable)• Wikimedians of Kerala User Group

Universal Code of Conduct

Applicant information

Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)

Wikimedians of Kerala User Group

Are you a first-time applicant? (required)

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

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

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

No

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

- User Group website - https://w.wiki/t9, [1], 

- Detailed financial reporting and/or audits - [2]

- Documentation of the governance structure, board list, governance processes - [3]

- Documentation of the general assembly decision on your plan - [4]

Main proposal

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

Wikimedians of Kerala User Group Annual Plan - 2026

3. Proposed start date. (required)

2026-01-01

4. Proposed end date. (required)

2026-12-31

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

Annual Plan 2026 - [5]

2023 annual report of Wikimedians of Kerala User Group

[6]

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://w.wiki/FFn3

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)

1.Wikisource Community Support and Digitization

• Workshops and Training : Organize 6 hands-on workshops focused on Malayalam Wikisource workflows (OCR, proofreading, validation, metadata enrichment, and publishing). These will strengthen community skills, bring in new contributors, and enhance the quality of digitized texts.
• Wikisource Birthday & Community Meet (2026) : Host an annual gathering of contributors to celebrate Wikisource’s birthday. This will serve as a platform for experience sharing, collaboration, recognition of contributors, and planning the next phase of growth for the community.
• Online Campaigns for Proofreading : Conduct 6 thematic online proofreading events throughout the year to engage both experienced editors and newcomers. These campaigns will help accelerate the completion of works already uploaded, encourage remote participation, and sustain community momentum.
• Book Scanning and Digitization : Undertake digitization of 8,000 pages of public domain and freely licensed works. This includes scanning, post-processing, metadata curation, and uploading to Wikimedia Commons and Wikisource. The effort aims to preserve cultural heritage and make valuable texts widely accessible.
• Community Support Mechanisms : Provide technical, mentoring, and resource support to Wikisource volunteers (such as access to digitization equipment, internet support, or peer guidance). This ensures inclusivity and reduces barriers for contributors across Kerala.
• Documentation and Knowledge Sharing : Develop guides, tutorials, and localized documentation to make Wikisource workflows more accessible for new contributors. These resources will also benefit other Indian language Wikisource communities.

  Wikisource Digitization workshops 

Approach

• Community-Centered Learning: Provide structured, hands-on training sessions to equip volunteers with digitization, transcription, proofreading, and publishing skills.
• Practical Engagement: Use real texts (heritage works, local literature) during workshops to ensure practical learning and immediate contributions to Wikisource.
• Cross-Project Synergy: Integrate Wikisource activities with Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia for richer metadata, discoverability, and cultural context.
• Collaborative Digitization: Build small working groups around specific projects (e.g., authors, themes, genres) to sustain motivation and collective output.
• Accessible Resources: Develop localized tutorials, support self-paced learning and expand reach to new contributors.

Strategy

• Strengthen Preservation Efforts: Focus on digitizing and proofreading culturally significant works, aiming to safeguard 30,000+ pages of rare and public domain literature.
• Expand Contributor Base: Actively engage students, educators, and cultural organizations to widen participation and promote knowledge equity.
• Ensure a steady pipeline of content and contributors by combining digitization partnerships with capacity-building programs. New works are continuously added, proofread, validated, and integrated across Wikimedia projects, ensuring long-term cultural preservation and accessibility.
• Cultural and Linguistic Advocacy: Position Malayalam Wikisource as a hub for regional heritage preservation, while creating replicable models for other Indian language communities.
• Impact-Oriented Campaigns: Conduct targeted online and offline events to ensure consistent progress on digitization, proofreading, and validation milestones.

Program

The Wikimedians of Kerala User Group has a strong track record of documenting cultural heritage and collaborating with GLAM institutions. Past initiatives includeWiki Loves Muziris, district heritage museum photo walks inPalakkad andThrissur, and folklore-focused workshops such asWiki Loves Folklore 2025 – Kannur.

Museum photo walks 

Building on this experience, we propose to:

• Conduct photo documentation and collaborations with three Kerala State Museums in different districts.
• Launch folklore documentation programs and capacity-building workshops with students and local communities.
• Produce three video documentation projects capturing Theyyam, Padayani, and Pooram—intangible heritage traditions central to Kerala’s cultural identity.

Approaches

• Collaborate with cultural institutions, research organizations, and local communities to ensure authenticity and inclusivity.
• Partner with college folklore clubs to involve students in documentation and workshops.
• Organize photowalks, edit-a-thons, and digitization drives around heritage themes to expand content creation and community participation.
• Publish and integrate outputs across Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata for global visibility and long-term preservation.

Strategies

• Celebrate and showcase Kerala’s cultural richness by curating both tangible and intangible heritage on Wikimedia platforms.
• Preserve and promote living traditions (rituals, performances, crafts) alongside historical and material heritage.
• Strengthen institutional partnerships with government archaeology departments, museums, and the GLAM sector to scale access and impact.
• Build capacity and leadership in heritage documentation through workshops, training, and mentorship for community members and students.

Program

The projects aim to strengthen structured knowledge on Wikidata and related Wikimedia platforms. Through WikiProject Kerala on Wikidata, we focus on systematically building, curating, and enhancing datasets that improve the visibility and accessibility of open knowledge related to Kerala’s culture, heritage, and language.

Activities Planned

• Wikidata Birthday Celebration: Organized a community workshop on Wikidata editing, where participants learned techniques for creating, refining, and linking Kerala and India related items.
• Data Curation in Wikidata: Regular enrichment of datasets related to Kerala, including places, institutions, cultural elements, and biographies, ensuring better integration with Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.
• Community Engagement: Encouraging new contributors to participate in structured data work, fostering collaboration across Malayalam Wikimedia projects.

• We have been conducting several activities in WikiProject Kerala on Wikidata for building data-sets related to Kerala and Malayalam Meta-Wiki.
• Wikidata Birthday celebration with a workshop on Wikidata editing Wikidata.

Approaches

• Combine structured data (Wikidata), mapping (OSM), and Commons contributions.
• Hands-on training in tools like OpenRefine and ISA tools to empower contributors.
• Organize gamified events with wikicrowd, ISA tools to make data enrichment fun and social.

Strategies

• Use structured data as a foundation for reuse and integration across Wikimedia projects.
• Empower contributors via technical skills and tooling.
• Engage community in data creation through interactive, location-based formats.

Program

Wikimedia technical workshops aimed at engaging students from engineering colleges to contribute to the Wikimedia ecosystem. The primary goal of this project is to foster a new generation of technical contributors who can build, improve, and maintain tools for various Wikimedia projects.

The workshops will focus on developing and enhancing tools within the Wikimedia ecosystem. We plan to collaborate with students from various engineering colleges across Kerala, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to make meaningful technical contributions. The project will address several key areas:

• New Tool Development: Students will be guided to conceptualize, design, and build new tools that address the specific needs of different wiki projects. This could include tools for content management, data visualization, or user engagement.
• Feature Improvement: The workshops will also focus on adding new features to existing tools. This will involve analyzing current tools, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing new functionalities that enhance their utility and user experience.
• Error Rectification: Participants will learn to identify and fix bugs and errors in various Wikimedia projects and tools, contributing to the overall stability and reliability of the ecosystem.

[7]

[8]

Approaches

• Implement hands-on, tool-focused training for new and existing contributors.
• Collaborate with academic and technical communities (FOSS clubs, Engineering colleges, Open Data Communities).

Strategies

• Build a technically skilled contributor base comfortable in contributing via advanced methods.
• Strengthen community capacity with efficient tools and contribution tracking systems.
• Form lasting partnerships with educational institutions and tech communities for sustained impact.

Program

• Wiki Loves Village Wiki Loves Village is an initiative aimed at documenting the cultural, natural, and social life of villages on Wikimedia projects such as Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, and Wikidata. Villages are often underrepresented in free knowledge platforms, and this project seeks to bridge that gap by encouraging contributions that highlight the unique identities of rural areas.

[9]

Approaches

• Photowalks and on-ground documentation focused specifically on smaller settlements or heritage-rich locales.
• Paired with editing sessions to enrich Wikipedia articles with local imagery and context.

Strategies

• Elevate coverage of lesser-documented villages and rural heritages in Kerala.
• Promote inclusivity by highlighting local culture and geography through multimedia and textual contributions.

Programme

• The Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of the Wikimedians of Kerala User Group will be organized in December 2026. This event is scheduled inline with Malayalam Wikipedia Birthday celebration. This event is a good opportunity for the members of the user group to discuss the group's accomplishments, future plans, and collaborative opportunities. Members will also have the opportunity to propose new projects and initiatives for the upcoming year, fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation.

[10]

Wikimedians of Kerala UG Annual General Body Meeting

• Monthly online meetings: Held consistently (e.g., third or fourth Saturday of each month) with participant counts ranging from May 2023. [11]
• Monthly newsletters: Following community feedback in early 2024, a newsletter initiative was launched in January 2024. [12]

1.Blended Participation

• Ensure both offline and online options for meetings (where possible) so that members across Kerala and beyond can participate.
• Using accessible platforms like Google Meet for online participation and Etherpad/Notes on Meta for collaborative documentation.

2.Inclusivity & Accessibility

• Schedule meetups with consideration for participants across different time zones and availability.
• Use Malayalam as the primary medium of communication while ensuring key outcomes are documented in English for wider visibility.

3.Community-driven Agenda

• Prioritize open calls for agenda items, allowing members to propose discussion topics in advance.
• Encourage diverse participation by ensuring newer members also get opportunities to present ideas and lead discussions.

4.Documentation & Transparency

• Maintain minutes of meetings and publish them on Meta-Wiki and mailing lists and sharing on the newsletter
• Archive recordings/slides (if any) for reference and onboarding new members.

5.Integration with Other Initiatives

• Link meetup discussions with ongoing or upcoming Wikimedia campaigns (Wiki Loves Campaigns, Wikidata, Wikisource, Wikivoyage, etc.).
• Use the meetings to coordinate grant activities, outreach events, and partnerships.

Challenges:

• Low participation: Without ongoing engagement, contributor involvement tends to fade.
• Lack of visibility for impact: Contributors may feel their work isn't valued or acknowledged.
• Insufficient onboarding of newcomers: New people may feel lost or unsupported.
• Limited partnerships & resource access: Restricts reach and scalability.
• Difficulty measuring impact: Makes it hard to adapt and justify initiatives.

Strategic Responses:

• Structured recurring events (workshops, campaigns, meetings) mitigate dips in activity and sustain engagement.
• Newsletters and meetups keep the community informed, inspired, and invested in collective progress.
• Mentorship and guided onboarding lower barriers for new participants, helping them integrate and contribute meaningfully.
• Collaborations with schools, universities, and cultural institutions broaden the group's reach and resource base.
• Impact tracking via metrics (edits, articles, participants) and qualitative feedback (stories, testimonials) inform future strategies and demonstrate valueMeta-Wiki.

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	No
Other	Yes

Education

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

Wikimedia Commons programs, Wikidata programs, Editing Wikipedia Training

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)

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, Supporting institutions to open up their collections, data, metadata, and research, 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.

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, 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, Supporting community members' participation in events and conferences, Offering micro-funding and other financial support to community members , Offering non financial support and services to community members (equipment, space, books, etc.)

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Other categories

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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

[13]

11. Describe your team. (required)

• User:Ranjithsiji
• User:Athulvis
• User:Manojk
• User:Gnoeee
• Other working team members

[14]

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)

External partnerships are vital for data acquisition and leveraging specialized technical expertise beyond the Wikimedia ecosystem. Our project will focus on collaborating with groups that share our open knowledge philosophy.

Open Data Kerala: This initiative is led by a community of volunteers dedicated to curating and publishing valuable datasets about Kerala under open licenses.

Characteristics of Partnership: This is a data liberation and content integration partnership. Open Data Kerala possesses a wealth of structured information on various topics, including local government boundaries, geolocation of villages and transportation data. By working with them, we can access high-quality, reliable datasets.

Example: We would collaborate to identify datasets from the Kerala Government's Open Government Data portal. Our technical team will programmatically extract and restructure the data then update it into Wikidata. which in turn would automatically update related articles on Malayalam Wikipedia. This automates the process of keeping articles on demographics, local bodies up to date.

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, Improve User Experience, Provide for Safety and Inclusion, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Manage Internal Knowledge, 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	170	N/A
Number of all editors	25	N/A
Number of new editors	10
Number of retained editors	10
Number of all organizers	10	N/A
Number of new organizers	2

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

Contributions to Wikimedia projects

Wikimedia project	Created	Edited or improved
Wikipedia	40	50
Wikimedia Commons	4000	4000
Wikidata	1000	1000
Wiktionary
Wikisource	2000	2000
Wikimedia Incubator	50	50
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote
Wikivoyage	10	10
Wikibooks
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)

Yes

Other Metrics	Description	Target
'	N/A	N/A
Number of Templates Improved	N/A	3
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)

1825344 INR

Requested amount in USD

21174 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)

Two part time contractors are appointed to oversee the annual project plan.

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

One FTE contractor (Two persons part time) 

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

N/A

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	480000
Operational costs	593044
Programmatic costs	752300

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

[15]

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)

Since this is our first application, we are providing reports from previous years as references to demonstrate our past activities and community engagement. For the current cycle, we are not proposing any new programmes but will continue building upon and consolidating the initiatives undertaken in the previous years.

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Yes

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