Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Afroyanga Cultural Enlightenment Initiative 2025 Annual Grant/Final Report
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Part 1: Understanding your work
[edit]Per the recent update on the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process, Wikimedia Affiliates that are General Support Fund grantees will fulfill their affiliate reporting requirements through their final or yearly grantee report.
If you are a Wikimedia Affiliate, you will use this form for your affiliate reporting and to address the affiliate health criteria. You do not need to submit a separate report to AffCom. Follow the guidance in the green boxes to report on how you met the corresponding affiliate health criteria.
If you are not a Wikimedia Affiliate, aligning your responses with the affiliate criteria is optional and not required.
1. Please share to what extent your programs, approaches, and strategies contributed to addressing the challenges you shared in your proposal. If they did not contribute as you believed they would, please share what obstacles you faced and what, if anything, you learned from them? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 1.) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 1.1 (Goal delivery). Describe how you actively delivered on mission goals, e.g. content creation.
Extent of Contribution, Outcomes, and Key Learnings
African & Proud’s programs were intentionally designed to address gaps in African cultural representation, digital literacy, and youth participation in open knowledge ecosystems. Through the implementation of Culture Connect Africa (The suite of projects) + decentralized representation and WikiClassroom Program in Nigeria: Lagos State, Anambra State and Kano State, we were able to meaningfully respond to the challenges outlined in our proposal. Below is an assessment of the extent of impact, effectiveness of our approaches, and key learnings.
1. Culture Connect Africa Program
Contribution to Addressing Identified Challenges
Underrepresentation of African Culture on Wikimedia Platforms: The Culture Connect Africa program directly addressed the lack of African cultural content on Wikimedia platforms. By focusing on core cultural related topics like African Film & Cinema, African Cuisine, African Festival, contributors created and improved articles, data entries, and multimedia content that highlighted African filmmakers, films, and cinema movements that were previously missing or poorly documented.
With over 397 participants engaged across Nigeria and Ghana, the project significantly increased the volume and diversity of African cultural content, particularly from regions and communities that are often underrepresented in global knowledge spaces.
See a link to the outreach dashboard here: [1] - data showing the Culture Connect Africa Program - engaging over 397 participants, adding 4.87M words to Wikimedia project and other quality highlights as detailed in the program dashboard.
Cultural Preservation and Documentation: The project contributed to cultural preservation by documenting African cultural expressions in a structured, open, and accessible format. By leveraging Wikimedia projects, the knowledge produced is freely available and preserved for long-term public access, supporting intergenerational knowledge transfer.
Digital Literacy and Contributor Capacity: Through structured training sessions, edit-a-thons, and mentorship, participants gained practical skills in research, sourcing, content creation, and Wikimedia policies. Many participants were first-time contributors, and the project served as an entry point into open knowledge participation and contributing to Wikimedia projects at large and especially in diverse country.
Effectiveness of Program Approaches
West-African Community Engagement: Engaging contributors from other African countries piloting with Ghana through the collaboration with the Dagbani User Group enriched the cultural diversity of content produced. It is also important to note that the strong collaboration built with the Dagbani User Group helped solve coordination challenges related to time zones, language differences, and varying levels of Wikimedia experience..
The Dagbani User Group covered some core languages in Ghana like Gurene, Kusaal and Dagaate.
See dashboards:
Multiplatform Training Approach: Training contributors across Wikipedia, Wikidata, language Wikis like Yoruba, Igbo, Dagaare, Kusaal and Wikimedia Commons improved the depth and quality of contributions. Participants developed a broader understanding of how different Wikimedia projects complement one another.
Key Learnings
- Decentralization improves effectiveness: Regional leadership structures (like the one established with Dagbani User Group) are essential for managing linguistic, cultural, and logistical diversity at scale.
- Local context matters: Contributors produce higher-quality content when they work on culturally familiar topics.
- Early mentorship is critical: First-time contributors benefit significantly from close guidance, especially around sourcing standards and notability requirements.
- Cross-border collaboration is valuable but resource-intensive: Strong coordination systems are required to sustain Pan-African participation.
DIFF POST: [4]
2. WikiClassroom Project (Phase One)
Contribution to Addressing Identified Challenges
Low Awareness of Wikipedia as a Learning Resource: WikiClassroom directly addressed misconceptions about Wikipedia within secondary schools by engaging both students and teachers. The sessions reframed Wikipedia as a starting point for research when used critically and responsibly.
Limited Access to Reliable Information:By introducing students to Wikipedia and its citation systems, the project expanded their access to up-to-date, freely available learning resources particularly valuable in resource-constrained educational environments.
Digital Literacy Development: Students were introduced to skills such as information verification, responsible research practices, and digital navigation, laying a foundation for informed digital engagement.
Effectiveness of Program Approaches
In-Person School Engagement: Direct engagement with schools proved highly effective in building trust and encouraging participation. Teachers were more receptive when sessions aligned with existing academic needs.
Hands-On Demonstrations: Interactive sessions, rather than lecture-style presentations, resulted in higher engagement and better comprehension among students.
Volunteer-Led Implementation: While volunteer involvement enabled the project to reach multiple schools, it also highlighted the need for standardized facilitation guides to ensure consistent delivery quality.
Key Learnings
- Early engagement matters: Introducing students to open knowledge platforms at the secondary school level strengthens long-term digital literacy.
- Teacher buy-in is essential: Educator participation significantly increases sustainability beyond initial sessions.
- Follow-up mechanisms are necessary: One-off engagements limit long-term impact without structured post-session support.
- Scalability requires coordination: Expansion to additional states will require stronger volunteer management and monitoring systems.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE WIKICLASSROOM IMPACT:
The Wikiclassroom was held in 3 states each representing a geopolitical zone of the country.
See highlights from the event:
Overall Reflections and Cross-Project Learnings
Across the implemented programs, African & Proud made meaningful progress toward addressing cultural representation gaps, improving digital literacy, and fostering youth participation in open knowledge ecosystems. While both initiatives demonstrated strong community interest and impact potential, they also revealed operational and structural limitations that informed strategic adjustments.
Key Cross-Cutting Learnings
- People-centered approaches drive impact: Community ownership and culturally grounded participation lead to better outcomes.
- Structure enables scale: Clear governance, regional leadership, and standardized training materials are essential for growth.
- Capacity building is most effective when continuous: Sustained engagement outperforms one-time interventions.
- Learning-driven iteration strengthens programs: Pilot-phase challenges informed improved design for future implementations.
2. Is there a plan to build on the key successes you had? If yes, please describe the plan and if no, please share the limitations to do so. For instance, did the activities lead to any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future? (required)
Plans to Build on Key Successes and Future Priorities
Yes, African & Proud has clear and deliberate plans to build on the key successes recorded across its implemented programs for FY 2025. Insights gained from previous activities have directly informed new priorities, refined strategies, and expansion plans aimed at deepening impact rather than only increasing reach.
Expansion and Deepening of the Culture Connect Africa Project
Building on the success of the Culture Connect Africa 2025 program, African & Proud plans to expand the project to another African country -Tanzania in 2026. This expansion is informed by the strong participation and interest observed from contributors across East Africa during earlier project phases.
Unlike the pilot phase, which focused primarily on increasing the volume of African cultural content, future iterations will place a stronger emphasis on content quality and depth. The project will prioritize:
- Improving existing articles from Start-Class to B-Class, and where feasible, to Good Article (GA) status
- Strengthening sourcing, structure, and compliance with Wikimedia quality standards
- Identifying high-impact cultural topics that warrant in-depth coverage rather than surface-level documentation
This shift reflects a strategic move from content creation alone to content excellence and sustainability, ensuring African cultural narratives are not only present but well-developed and durable on Wikimedia platforms.
To support this, African & Proud plans to organize focused workshops and editing clinics that:
- Train participants on advanced article improvement techniques
- Support contributors in systematically upgrading existing articles
- Encourage peer review and collaborative quality assurance
African & Proud also plans to expand WikiClassroom to additional Nigerian states, while deliberately maintaining engagement with schools already reached during earlier phases. This dual approach ensures that early gains are not lost while new communities are brought into the initiative.
Key priorities for WikiClassroom include:
- Expanding outreach to new states through trained volunteers (mostly delegates from Afroyanga Bootcamp).
- Building sustained relationships with previously engaged schools
- Introducing follow-up sessions and refresher workshops to reinforce learning
- Gradually transitioning interested students and teachers from Wikipedia users to contributors
In addition, workshops will be introduced to help participants understand how to critically evaluate, improve, and contribute to existing articles, rather than viewing Wikipedia solely as a passive learning resource.
Conclusion
African & Proud’s future plans reflect a commitment to iterative learning, responsible scaling, and long-term impact. By expanding Culture Connect Africa to Tanzania, deepening content quality standards, and strengthening WikiClassroom through both expansion and sustained engagement, the organization is building on proven successes while responding thoughtfully to lessons learned.
3. Please provide a link to reports that detail the activities that took place in the last year. This can include an annual report, Meta pages, and websites. If there are no links available, briefly describe the implemented activities and programs below or upload any files. (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 3.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.1 (Affiliate health & resilience), 4.1 (Internal engagement), 4.2 (Community connection), and 4.3 (Partnerships and collaboration):
- Describe your activities engaging new users, new members for your decision-making body(ies), and developing leaders and organizers (2.1).
- Describe your activities creating or hosting spaces to encourage greater collaboration and engagement among your members (4.1).
- Describe how you engage with the contributing community that you serve and/or support (4.2).
- Describe your partnerships with other affiliates or with non-Wikimedia entities (4.3).
African & Proud detailed Annual Report - [10]
Culture Connect Africa 2025 - [11]
Wiki Classroom - [12]
Campaign Dashboard - [13]
Diff Wikimedia Pages - [14]
4. Are you interested in sharing what you achieved or learned this year with the wider community through different peer learning programs (e.g. Let's Connect program, Diff)? (optional)
Yes, we are very interested in sharing both our achievements and learnings with the wider Wikimedia and open-knowledge community through peer learning platforms.
We have already taken steps in this direction by sharing learnings and project reflections on Diff, contributing to collective learning within the Wikimedia movement. These publications highlight our experiences, challenges encountered, and adaptations made during program implementation:
See links:
We also organized a call with our community members to share learnings from projects completed in 2025, including knowledge sharing session and engagements.
See recording of meeting with African & Proud community members - [18]
5. Did you collect feedback from your community or target groups on how the activities implemented impacted them? If yes, please attach/provide information on the results (e.g. community surveys, stories, impact booklets/reports, interviews with partner institutions, etc). Did you collect other impact-specific data? (required)
For affiliates, the response to Question 5. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criteria 4.1 (Internal Engagement), 4.2 (Community Connection), or 4.3 (Partnerships & collaboration), where applicable.
Yes, African & Proud collected both qualitative feedback and activity-level data from participants and target groups to understand how the implemented activities impacted them. Feedback collection was intentionally embedded into program delivery to inform learning, improvement, and future planning.
Methods Used
A feedback call was set up to align and get feedback on the activities implemented. See link to the recording of the call - [19] - One important learning from this call is the importance of the Afroyanga Bootcamp to our community and the Wikimedia community at large.
Feedback and impact data were also collected using multiple approaches, including:
- Post-activity surveys administered to participants after trainings, edit-a-thons, and school sessions
- Informal reflection sessions and facilitated discussions during and after activities
- Direct testimonials and stories shared by participants and volunteers
- Participation and contribution tracking across Wikimedia platforms
- Internal activity reports documenting outputs, engagement levels, and observed outcomes
This mixed-method approach allowed African & Proud to capture both measurable outputs and lived experiences from participants.
WikiClassroom Feedback
Feedback from students and teachers highlighted the project’s effectiveness in reshaping perceptions of Wikipedia as a learning resource.
Key insights included:
- Improved understanding of how to use Wikipedia responsibly for research
- Increased interest in digital research and fact-checking
- Positive reception from teachers who saw alignment with curriculum needs
- Strong student engagement during hands-on sessions
References
African & Proud intentionally prioritized learning and feedback throughout implementation. The combination of participant feedback, documented outputs, and reflective reporting provided a strong understanding of program impact and directly shaped future strategy.
6. During the fund period, did your efforts do any of the following? (required):
For affiliates, the response to Question 6. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criterion 2.2 (Diversity balance).
- 6.1 Bring in participants from the following groups: women, indigenous groups , young people, speakers of minority languages, underrepresented geographical regions (ESEAP, LATAM, SSA, MENA, SA)
- 6.2 Develop content about the following underrepresented topics or groups of people: women, indigenous groups, speakers of minority languages, underrepresented geographical regions (ESEAP, LATAM, SSA, MENA, SA)
- 6.3 Support the retention of: Editors, Organizers, Partnerships
7. What, if any, effective tactics or approaches can you share that worked well when dealing with the programs under points 6.1-6.3 that you selected? (optional)
'Work through 'trusted local organizers for some crucial event like WikiClassroom in other states + decentralized Culture Connect Africa in Ghana
One of the most effective approaches is not leading from the center, but empowering people already rooted in the community.
- Partner with Dagbani User Group, Afroyanga delegates and other local Wikimedia user groups was highly effective
- Letting them co-design the program so it reflects local realities, language, and priorities
- This builds trust fast and avoids the “external program” problem
Why this worked: Young participants / local community members are more likely to show up and stay engaged when the invitation comes from someone they already know and respect.
8. If you developed partnerships, which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors (optional):
Institutional support from the Wikimedia Foundation, Volunteers from our communities
Part 2: Metrics
[edit]| Metrics name | Target | Result | Comments and tools used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 1000 | 1090 | Directly engaged over 390 participants directly through the Culture Connect Africa Program.
Directly & indirectly engaged over 500 students + teachers during the WikiClassroom Program. Due to media coverage and publicity, we indirectly engaged over 200 people during the two programs |
| Number of all editors | 700 | 890 | Xtools.
Meta Wiki Outreach Dashboard |
| Number of new editors | 200 | 320 | |
| Number of retained editors | 140 | 170 | |
| Number of all organizers | 8 | 8 | |
| Number of new organizers | 6 | 5 |
| Wikimedia project | Target - Number of created pages | Target - Number of improved pages | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 4500 | 3000 | 3000 | 10000 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 1000 | |||
| Wikidata | 5000 | 3000 | 3200 | 16000 |
| Wiktionary | 100 | 100 | ||
| Wikisource | ||||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||||
| Translatewiki | ||||
| MediaWiki | ||||
| Wikiquote | ||||
| Wikivoyage | ||||
| Wikibooks | 5000 | 3000 | ||
| Wikiversity | ||||
| Wikinews | ||||
| Wikispecies | ||||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
Tool used and comments (optional):
Outreach Dashboard - https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/campaigns/culture_connect_africa_2025/programs/overview
11. Did you set other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required): No
11.1. Other Metrics.
In your application, you outlined some other open metrics that you would like to measure. Please fill out the achieved results for each of the open metrics you defined.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Languages added to Wikipedia | Contributions to Wikipedias in African languages such as Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, and Dagbani
Target: 5-7 |
7 | ||
| Content added to Wikimedia Commons | Visual documentation of cultural elements (festivals, cuisines) including images, videos, and audio recordings from AfroFestival and AfroCuisine projects.
Target: 500+ media files |
500 | ||
| Mentorship Conversion Rate | 40% of participants from Afroyanga Bootcamp 1.0 who transitioned to mentor roles in Afroyanga 2.0. In 2024, 100% of mentees from 2023 became mentors, with a target to maintain this rate or at least keep 50% conversion rate in 2025.
Target: 50% or higher |
50 | ||
| Engagement Events Held | Number of workshops, edit-a-thons, and community events across Nigeria and Ghana. | 15 | ||
| Entries added to Languages Wikipedia | Igbo: 1000
Yoruba: 1000 Hausa: 1000 Dagbani: 1000 |
4000 |
Part 3: Skill Development / Capacity Building
[edit]12. Reflecting on your programmatic (external) and organizational (internal) work, did your grant support you to undergo any skill development that made a difference to your success? If yes, what skill was developed, and how did it lead to success? (e.g. received coaching on public speaking, attended training on nonviolent communication, hosted professional development conversations on leadership, learned and used a new tool for project management, etc.)? Can you share any materials? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 12.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.2 (Diversity balance) and 3.1 (Diverse, Skilled, and Accountable Leadership):
- Describe actions taken to prioritize gender balance in affiliate leadership, as well as any areas of diversity relevant to your affiliate's context (2.2).
- Describe the management, financial, or other leadership skills of your affiliate leaders. If you have a succession plan, please include it here (3.1).
- Describe any training or skill development (as outlined in the question above) (3.1).
- Incorporate into the annual report a disclosure of conflict of interests (if any) from the leadership (3.1).
Yes, the grant supported meaningful skill development that directly contributed to success.
Key skills developed included inclusive program design and facilitation, community organizing and partnership management, leadership and people management, effective communication/public speaking, and basic project management and documentation.
These skills improved participant engagement, strengthened partnerships, enhanced team coordination, and ensured timely, well-documented delivery of programs.
Overall, the grant served as both funding and a learning opportunity, building practical skills that improved program outcomes and strengthened organizational capacity beyond the grant period.
13. What is one capacity/skill area that you would like to focus on for the next year? And how do you plan to achieve this capacity? (required)
One key capacity we will like to focus on over the next year is advanced program leadership and impact evaluation specifically, the ability to design programs with clearer theories of change and to measure outcomes beyond activity-level metrics.
How we plan to achieve this capacity
- Targeted learning: Participate in trainings or short courses on monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), as well as program leadership and adaptive management.
- Practical application: Actively apply these frameworks while designing and running programs, including defining clear success indicators, collecting qualitative and quantitative data, and conducting structured reflections.
- Peer learning and mentorship: Engage with experienced organizers and grant recipients to exchange practices, receive feedback, and refine approaches.
- Improved tools and documentation: Develop and consistently use simple evaluation tools (feedback surveys, outcome tracking templates, reflection reports) to inform decision-making and program iteration.
By building this capacity, we aim to improve program quality, demonstrate clearer impact, and strengthen long-term sustainability for initiatives supporting young people and underrepresented communities.
14. If you have additional information or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. Use the space below to upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your report.
For affiliates, also use this section (Question 14) to fulfill the Affiliate Health Criteria requirements.
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for affiliate governance, including affiliate leadership and membership with a breakdown of the demographics; how elections are conducted; how conflicts of interest are declared; and how decisions are made and communicated (2.2, 2.3, 3.1).
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for activities incorporating, promoting awareness about, or enforcing the Universal Code of Conduct in your affiliate's activities (3.3).
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for internal membership engagement, such as notes from your regular meetings and how you communicate to or involve your membership (4.1).
African & Proud really appreciate the foundation and our program officer for the immense support during the 2025 fiscal year.
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]For affiliates, also use this section (Part 4: Financial reporting) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 3.2 (Financial & Legal Compliance).
| Description | Planned / received budget for this category (NGN) | Amount spent (NGN) |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel costs | 25986906 | 10800 |
| Operational costs | 14558946 | 3200 |
| Programmatic costs | 51533560 | 10556 |
| Total General Support Fund | 22000 | 24556 |
| Other revenue | ||
| Remaining funds from General Support Fund | N/A |
15. Please state the total amount spent from this fund in your local currency. (required)
24556 NGN
16. Please provide an overview of the amount spent from this fund in the following budget categories in your local currency. (required)
- Operational costs: 3200 NGN
- Programmatic costs: 10556 NGN
- Staff and contractor costs: 10800 NGN
17. Did you have any other revenue sources (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required): No
- 17.1. Provide the total amount received from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): NGN
- 17.2. Provide the total amount spent from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): NGN
18. Provide a financial report document which will provide the details of funds received and spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
18.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
N/A
19. Do you have any unspent funds from this funding?: No
20. Final confirmations (required)
- 20.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement? You must be in compliance with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement. In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the Wikimedia Foundation mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
- 20.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
- Yes
- 20.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
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