Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedians of Arusha Annual Program 2024-25/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.
Throughout the 2024–2025 grant cycle, the Wikimedians of Arusha made deliberate efforts to align every program and strategy with the challenges outlined in our proposal. Our goal was to bridge gaps in content coverage, community participation, gender equity, and resource accessibility and the impact has been tangible.
Content creation and representation saw a notable boost through targeted campaigns. These programs were carefully chosen to spotlight underrepresented content, particularly African cultures, Swahili knowledge, and gendered narratives. We not only met our content goals but also deepened editorial engagement from across the region.
To grow and sustain our community, we prioritized both social connection and skills development. The Annual Community Meeting and Training the Trainers were especially effective in strengthening leadership pipelines and nurturing new talent. These activities fostered trust, sparked collaboration, and empowered volunteers to take initiative in both local and online spaces.
The Community Hub stood out as one of our most impactful innovations. More than just a workspace, it became a catalyst for everyday contributions. By providing consistent internet access, computers, and a welcoming environment, it removed a long-standing barrier: lack of infrastructure for regular participation. As a result, we observed a rise in editor retention.
Efforts to address the gender gap were successful, though not without challenge. Through the Women in Wiki trainings and the Write for African Women campaign, we created safer, more supportive spaces for women to edit and lead. However, we encountered limitations in reaching women in rural areas due to connectivity issues.
Finally, we took bold steps to build partnerships and promote inclusiveness. We cultivated relationships with institutions like Builders for Future Africa, Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation, and the Arusha Youth Hub. These partners amplified our visibility, strengthened our credibility, and opened doors for future collaborations in education, culture, and youth empowerment.
One of our key takeaways is that consistency and access matter more than intensity. It is not just the big campaigns that create lasting impact, but the everyday, supported work of community members who feel seen, heard, and equipped. As we look ahead, our focus will be on sustainability to maintain what works while scaling with intention.
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)
Yes, we have a clear and energized plan to build on our key successes from this year. Rather than closing a chapter, the end of this grant period marks a stepping stone toward a more resilient and strategic future for the Wikimedians of Arusha.
First, the Community Hub will evolve into a flagship model. Its success has shown that consistent access to resources drives community productivity. We plan to enhance the Hub by expanding its hours, acquiring additional laptops, and piloting outreach days where rural-based Wikimedians can visit the Hub with subsidized travel support. The Hub will also host micro-trainings, drop-in mentorship sessions, and serve as a launchpad for more localized editing clusters in surrounding areas.
Second, our content campaigns will deepen their thematic focus. Having seen strong outcomes, we plan to build editorial calendars that are both campaign-aligned and locally relevant. For example, we aim to introduce a WikiRoots campaign, focusing on indigenous environmental knowledge and Swahili folklore, leveraging community elders as knowledge partners.Third, we are cultivating a second line of leadership. From the Training the Trainers program, we identified passionate individuals who are ready to step into coordinator and facilitator roles. These emerging leaders will be supported to lead events, represent Arusha in regional Wikimedia forums, and mentor newcomers. This shift ensures long-term sustainability and reduces the burden on core staff.Fourth, strategic partnerships will be nurtured beyond formal collaborations. We are already in discussions with libraries, cultural institutions, and youth-focused NGOs to design joint initiatives. These will focus on bringing Wikimedia into classrooms, promoting open knowledge policies, and bridging the offline-online knowledge gap.New ideas and priorities that emerged this year include:Launching WikiClubs in Secondary Schools and Universities under the WikiRoots projectIntroducing monthly Community Demo Days to showcase member contributions and build peer learningExploring a dual-language knowledge initiative to bridge content between Swahili and English Wikipedia
Our biggest limitation in growing these opportunities is predictable: resources. Most ideas that emerged are feasible but need additional funding, staffing, and logistical support. We plan to address this through multi-year funding applications, strategic fundraising efforts, and stronger volunteer management systems.In short, the spirit of innovation is alive in our community. What began as a small collective is now positioning itself as a regional leader in content creation, community support, and knowledge equity. We are building not just momentum, but a model for others to learn from and adapt.
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).
This year, we made deliberate efforts to attract new contributors and nurture emerging leaders. We engaged new users through beginner-friendly programs which allowed people to participate with low entry barriers such as uploading photos or adding references. The onboarding process was simplified with hands-on workshops, personal mentorship, and follow-ups via our community WhatsApp group.
To strengthen leadership, we launched our first-ever Training the Trainers initiative. From this program, several participants have gone on to co-facilitate events, design their own editing campaigns, and assist in strategic discussions. This shows the success of our capacity-building model: grow from within, support with care, and create space for ownership.
The Community Hub has become the heartbeat of our collaboration efforts. It is not only a physical space but a community anchor. Editors meet there to co-work, troubleshoot wiki issues, and build friendships. We hosted monthly Community Days at the Hub, combining informal learning, reflection, and planning sessions. These gatherings strengthened social bonds and gave community members a sense of belonging.In addition, we hosted regular virtual check-ins for open program design. Members could comment, suggest edits, or propose activities, making participation accessible even for those outside Arusha.
We maintained close and continuous engagement with our contributor base. Beyond training, we celebrated individual achievements, publicly highlighted top contributors during campaigns, and introduced a Community Shoutout Board, a simple but powerful way to make people feel recognized. We also responded actively to feedback. After members shared struggles with event timing, we adjusted schedules to include evening and weekend options. When someone pointed out gender imbalances at events, we improved our outreach strategy and introduced women-only workshops.
Partnerships were a cornerstone of our success. We continued our fruitful collaboration with Builders for Future Africa, who supported us in navigating compliance, documentation, and government registration processes. This partnership gave our work legal legitimacy and operational confidence.
We also partnered with Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation, which helped amplify our campaigns through media coverage, and Arusha Youth Hub, where we co-hosted events that merged Wikimedia with civic engagement.
Emerging collaborations include educational institutions such as Makumira University and local secondary schools, with whom we are co-developing a pilot Wiki in the Classroom initiative under the WikiRoots project. These partnerships are not only strategic but they are transformative. They bring in new audiences, deepen our credibility, and demonstrate that Wikimedia can be a bridge between knowledge, community, and empowerment.Here is the link to our activit reports: [1]
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 our learning with the wider Wikimedia movement. Throughout the year, our community members actively engaged in various knowledge exchange platforms, both formally and informally.
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, we did and this feedback played a central role in how we refined our approach, evaluated our progress, and shaped our future direction.
We prioritized community feedback not as a formality but as a vital part of our practice. Our approach blended structured data collection with organic community listening, allowing us to capture both the measurable and the meaningful.
Every major event included an immediate feedback session. Participants rated logistics, facilitation quality, content usefulness, and confidence gained. Open-ended questions asked what they liked, what could be improved, and whether they would recommend the program.
After flagship campaigns, we organized informal in-person and virtual debriefs. These safe spaces encouraged honest reflection, especially from women and first-time contributors. In these sessions, we gathered insights about how people felt during the activities, what barriers they faced, and what follow-up they wanted.
We held one-on-one check-ins with key partners including Builders for Future Africa and Arusha Youth Hub to understand how they viewed the collaboration’s impact on their own goals. Feedback from institutions helped us strengthen the strategic value of partnerships and prepare better for joint projects.
Our WhatsApp group, active with over 300 members, served as an informal but rich source of feedback. We tracked questions, expressions of gratitude, suggestions, and requests. These helped us make timely course corrections such as clarifying event timing, offering editing help, and identifying technical needs.
The key findings from the feedback were 93% of respondents said the training or campaign increased their understanding of Wikimedia platforms. Many shared that they felt motivated to continue contributing after the events.
Women only events received the most enthusiastic feedback. Participants highlighted feeling safer, more empowered, and less intimidated when learning in female-led, all women environments.
Editors praised the Community Hub for allowing them to practice regularly, build editing habits, and drop in anytime without needing an event. Feedback confirmed that this access significantly boosted retention.
A recurring comment was How can I stay involved after this event? prompting us to set up monthly drop-in sessions and a mentorship system.
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, people with disabilities, indigenous groups , people from lower socioeconomic status, 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, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people, 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)
Some of the most effective tactics included:
Edit with a Buddy: Pairing new editors with returning ones during events, which reduced anxiety and built instant connection.Inclusive facilitation: Having women facilitators lead women-focused events made new participants feel more comfortable and open to asking questions.Flexible support: Beyond scheduled events, our team was always reachable for one-on-one help. This kind of relationship-building created lasting trust.Visible recognition: A simple Top Contributor of the Month mention in our community space boosted morale and retention, especially among women and youth.
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):
Permanent staff outreach, Board members’ outreach, Staff hired through the fund, Volunteers from our communities, Partners proactive interest
Part 2: Metrics
[edit]| Metrics name | Target | Result | Comments and tools used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 450 | 700 | We used activity reports and Wikimedia outreach dashboard |
| Number of all editors | 250 | 646 | We used activity reports and Wikimedia outreach dashboard |
| Number of new editors | 50 | 74 | |
| Number of retained editors | 200 | 312 | |
| Number of all organizers | 25 | 27 | |
| Number of new organizers | 5 | 7 |
| Wikimedia project | Target - Number of created pages | Target - Number of improved pages | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 1000 | 2000 | 14200 | 61800 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 1000 | 1020 | ||
| Wikidata | 500 | 1000 | 260 | 48800 |
| Wiktionary | 500 | 609 | ||
| Wikisource | ||||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||||
| Translatewiki | ||||
| MediaWiki | ||||
| Wikiquote | ||||
| Wikivoyage | ||||
| Wikibooks | ||||
| Wikiversity | ||||
| Wikinews | ||||
| Wikispecies | ||||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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).
Over the past year, we have been very intentional about building a diverse and balanced leadership structure within Wikimedians of Arusha. Out of our four core team members three are women. This gender balance has brought varied perspectives into our planning, decision-making, and facilitation work. But diversity for us also goes beyond gender. We have made effort to ensure that our leadership includes individuals from different linguistic, socioeconomic, and regional backgrounds. This helps us stay grounded in the local realities of both urban and rural contributors, and design programs that are inclusive and responsive.
Our leadership team brings a mix of important skills to the table. The Executive Director provides vision and strategic direction. The Chief Operations Officer and the Accountant offer strong support on financial planning, grant management, and compliance. The Chief Communications Officer helps tell our story effectively, manages our campaigns, and ensures we are seen and heard not just in Arusha, but across the broader Wikimedia movement.
This grant period was also a time for us to reflect on leadership development and succession. One of the biggest wins was the success of our Training the Trainers program. From this, we saw several new faces take on leadership roles in organizing events and guiding newcomers. We are now working toward formalizing this into a Volunteer Coordinator Fellowship, which will offer mentorship and rotational leadership opportunities to community members who want to grow. It’s our way of sharing responsibility and preparing for long-term sustainability.One of the most transformative experiences for our leadership team this year was participating in the Collaborative Learning Initiative (CLI) by the Issroff Family Foundation. We were honored to be nominated by the Wikimedia Foundation to join this intensive, year-long program, which brought together grassroots leaders from East and Southern Africa.
CLI helped us grow in ways we hadn’t expected. We strengthened our skills in strategic planning, financial management, and volunteer coordination. The program placed a strong focus on sustainability both at the organizational level and the personal level. We reflected deeply on how to prevent burnout, how to delegate better, and how to make space for emerging leaders to shine. CLI also gave us access to peer learning and direct coaching from sector experts, which really sharpened our approach to program design and reporting.As a result of our CLI participation, we are able to finalize our 5 year strategic plan, build more structured systems for volunteer leadership, and make better use of data to evaluate our work. We also came away with useful templates for budgeting, risk management, and internal documentation many of which are soon to be in active use by our team. Most importantly, it helped us feel more confident in our leadership not just in running programs, but in shaping the future of our community with care and clarity.In summary, this year has not only been about delivering on our programs but also about growing as an organization. We are building a more inclusive, skilled, and resilient leadership team that can carry this work forward in ways that are grounded in trust, learning, and shared responsibility.
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)
As we look ahead, one of the most important areas we want to strengthen is our fundraising capacity. While the General Support Fund has been critical in supporting our work, we recognize that building a sustainable, long-term future for Wikimedians of Arusha will require us to diversify our sources of funding. Our vision is growing, and with it comes the need for more stable and flexible financial support to match our ambition.
Up until now, we have mostly depended on Wikimedia Foundation funding and in-kind support from local partners. This has allowed us to achieve a lot from setting up the Community Hub to running impactful campaigns. However, we have reached a point where we are dreaming bigger. Ideas like launching WikiClubs in schools, expanding our Hub to serve more rural areas, and deepening our community outreach all require longer-term funding. To do that, we need to become more confident and capable in how we approach fundraising.
To build this capacity, our plan is multi-layered. First, we want to invest in learning. Our team will seek out relevant training opportunities webinars, online courses, peer-learning sessions to build skills in proposal writing, donor engagement, and impact storytelling. We also plan to create a clear and compelling fundraising toolkit. This will include our community profile, project concept notes, and real stories of impact from our members, which we can share with both local and international funders.
We are also planning to start close to home. We will begin mapping potential partners in Tanzania, including private companies, education-focused NGOs, and local foundations. Through existing relationships with groups like Builders for Future Africa and Arusha Youth Hub, we are already identifying shared goals and possible co-funding opportunities. At the same time, we will continue building relationships with funders beyond the Wikimedia ecosystem especially those aligned with open education, digital inclusion, and youth empowerment.
Lastly, we know that successful fundraising also depends on strong internal systems. That is why we will be improving our documentation processes, financial reporting, and impact tracking. We want to be ready to meet the expectations of a wider range of donors while staying grounded in our values of openness, transparency, and community leadership.
Strengthening our fundraising capacity is not just about raising more money. It is about becoming more resilient, more proactive, and more capable of sustaining the work we deeply believe in. With the right support and systems in place, we are confident we can take our next bold steps forward.
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).
In August 2024, we took a significant step forward by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Arusha Youth Hub, a dynamic initiative under MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (MS TCDC). This exciting partnership opens doors to a powerful network of youth and organizations, enabling us to expand our reach and deepen our impact. By joining forces with Arusha Youth Hub and its partners, we are not just growing our community, we are creating new opportunities to inspire, educate, and empower.
Thanks to the generous support of Labdoo, our community hub is now equipped with laptops and tablets, providing our members with the tools they need to contribute to Wikimedia projects. These devices have become a game-changer, enabling more people to participate, create, and share knowledge.
We have taken on an exciting role as mentors to the Wikimedia Community Kilimanjaro, a budding group of passionate contributors. By sharing our experience and resources, we are helping them grow into a strong, vibrant community. This collaboration is not just about guidance, it is about building a sustainable future for Wikimedia in Tanzania and beyond.
We have begun exciting conversations with Utalii wa Ndani Society, an NGO that connects tourism students and professionals. This potential partnership opens doors to enriching Wikimedia projects with unique insights and expertise from the tourism industry. By working together, we aim to bridge the gap between tourism knowledge and open access, creating a valuable resource for learners and travelers worldwide.
We are in the early stages of partnering with Elimu Yetu, an NGO dedicated to education, to establish a Wiki Club. This initiative will introduce students to the world of Wikimedia, empowering them to contribute to open knowledge while enhancing their research and digital skills
We have initiated talks with the Tengeru Institute of Community Development to launch a Wiki Club on their campus. This partnership aims to engage students and faculty in contributing to Wikimedia projects, fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
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 (TZS) | Amount spent (TZS) |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel costs | 49500000 | 46632125 |
| Operational costs | 9625000 | 8197584 |
| Programmatic costs | 56375000 | 53963731 |
| Total General Support Fund | 108793440 | 108793440 |
| 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)
108793440 TZS
16. Please provide an overview of the amount spent from this fund in the following budget categories in your local currency. (required)
- Operational costs: 8197584 TZS
- Programmatic costs: 46632125 TZS
- Staff and contractor costs: 53963731 TZS
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): TZS
- 17.2. Provide the total amount spent from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): TZS
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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