Grants:IdeaLab/Mbazzi Village writes Wikipedia

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status: idea
project:
Mbazzi Village writes Wikipedia
idea creator:

Paul Kiguba, Dan Frendin and Sophie Österberg

project contact:
pauluganda(_AT_)gmail.com, dan.frendin(_AT_)telia.com and eihpossophie(_AT_)gmail.com
participants:
summary:
Create a Wikipedia-center in the Mbazzi Village in Uganda, for inhabitants to contribute in Wikipedia Luganda version, primarily about 1.Health (Sanitation,hygiene and medicine) 2.Rural economic empowerment (Sustainable agricultural practices).
created on: 09:41, 19 August 2013

Project idea[edit]

Paul Kiguba, Deputy Headteacher at the school Kisubi Mapeera in Entebbe met Dan Frendin, a teacher in Sweden, through an exchange program for their students. Paul is originally from Mbazzi where he has a farm. At one point after the yearly exchange Dan had his class of high-school students run a Wikipedia Education Program where they wrote articles about Uganda on Swedish Wikipedia after having been introduced to the idea of Wikipedia Education Program by Sophie Österberg. When the teachers and students from Uganda came to Sweden, some of them came to meet staff and volunteers from Wikimedia Sweden to learn edit Wikipedia. Whilst doing this, they found the Luganda Wikipedia language version which sparked great joy. They found that the language version was rather limited in articles width and depth and had an urge to change this. They also wanted to use the knowledge they had in their village around health and agriculture to share to others reading the Luganda Wikipedia version, which may freely be accessed via Wikipedia Zero. In the village there is a empty house owned by Paul, the teachers, which he wants to change into a Wikipedia center where his students as well as others may contribute with their knowledge, specifically in these two areas. Paul has made a list of what is necessary to have this happen, which may be found here. See more of the project plan here.

Project purpose[edit]

The purpose of the project is to make relevant knowledge accessible to the people of Mbazzi village so that this knowledge can be used to transform the people economically, socially and in health issues etc.

Mission statement[edit]

To ensure that villagers undergo holistic growth in their lives through knowledge acquisition within the relevant areas of sustainable development of agriculture, health, education, economic empowerment etc.

Project goals[edit]

Paul showing the possible location for computers in the house.

General objectives;

  • To make knowledge on agriculture, health, education, income generation, general wellbeing etc available on Wikipedia
  • To promote the role of Wikipedia in rural development
  • To provide a reliable source of knowledge for rural challenges
  • To increase the working hours of the rural folk though e-exchanges
  • To promote literacy among the villagers
  • To generate employment opportunities for the school drop outs and the unemployed youth/graduates by using knowledge generated from Wikipedia.
  • To promote environmentally friendly practices among the villagers
  • To transform villagers from peasant thinking to modern sustainable ideologies of development
  • To promote health knowledge.

The two SMART goals for the year is to;

  • Educate 100 people in how to edit Wikipedia which will be measured by their contributions on Luganda WP.
  • Have 120 new articles on Luganda Wikipedia in the area of health, agriculture and economic empowerment.

These both goals, are as may be obvious, easily measurable on WP.

Get involved[edit]

Welcome, brainstormers! Your feedback on this idea is welcome. Please click the "discussion" link at the top of the page to start the conversation and share your thoughts.


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