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Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Africa Wiki Challenge in Tanzania 2025 (ID: 23091390)/Final Report

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Husseyn Issa
Africa Wiki Challenge in Tanzania 2025
01 July 2025 - 01 August 2025
Report ID: 12624
Report status: Under review
Report due date: 31 August 2025
Grant ID: G-RF-2504-18822
Amount funded: 5376751 TZS, 2000 USD
Amount spent: 5376751 TZS
Rapid Fund Final Report

Application type: Standard application

Part 1: Project and impact

1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)

We organized an in-person edit-a-thon in the form of a challenge, where participants worked hard to improve and create articles, and at the end we awarded prizes to the top three winners. This approach made the event exciting and competitive, and as a result the edit counts were very good, showing real commitment from the community. Doing it face-to-face helped a lot because we could guide and support each other quickly, while the challenge format motivated participants to stay active. The mix of competition, teamwork, and recognition turned out to be the most effective way to achieve these strong results.

2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)

Share links to:

  • Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
  • Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
  • Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.

You can also share links to:

  • Important social media posts
  • Surveys and their results
  • Infographics and sound files
  • Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects

- Event meta page:https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Africa_Wiki_Challenge_in_Tanzania_2025

  1. https://www.instagram.com/p/DLzNaJoIWNx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
  2. https://www.instagram.com/p/DLz8q2rtNK2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

3. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMSg69UMicM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)

For example:

  • Training materials and guides
  • Presentations and slides
  • Work processes and plans
  • Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others

Articles list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zdbjb3pbvWSL8o-jQxzyOlQtOWz9d8H2KRx9tn_ECuw/edit?gid=1849269210#gid=1849269210

Rubrics we have used for challenge: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zvcvFGZiRmaOHrQVbbFPZ6Qc6U2RGKSzajiLXUHx7-Y/edit?usp=drive_link

3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups Strongly agree
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community Agree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups Strongly agree
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives Disagree
E. Encourage the retention of editors Disagree
F. Encourage the retention of organizers Disagree
G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement Strongly agree
F. Other (optional)

Part 2: Learning

4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)

You can recall these learning questions below: 1. By the end of this project we will be able to know what motivates new swahili wikipedia editors and educators in Tanzania to start editing Swahili Wikipedia, and how can we support them to keep contributing after the event? 2. By the end we will be able to know types of activities (e.g., workshops, challenges, cultural booths) which are easiest for new participants to join and learn from? 3. In the end we can be able to know how can we build stronger collaboration between Tanzania Wikimedians and local communities (like schools, libraries, and cultural groups) to support Swahili content creation? 4. Atleast by the end of this project we will be able to know the most effective ways to keep in touch with participants after the event and help them grow as active Wikimedians?

1. We learnt that new Swahili Wikipedia editors and educators are motivated by recognition, mentorship, and the excitement of contributing knowledge and to support them, we need to provide follow-up guidance and continuous encouragement.

2. We discovered that challenges and workshops are the easiest activities for new participants to join and quickly learn from.

3. We saw that building stronger collaboration with schools, libraries, and cultural groups creates trust and long-term support for Swahili content creation.

4. We learnt that WhatsApp groups and regular check-ins are the most effective ways to keep in touch with participants and help them grow as active Wikimedians.

5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)

Yes, something unexpected happened during our activities. On the event day, there was a national electricity off day, and this caused big challenges with the venue setup. From this, we learnt that next time it is important to check all angles when planning, including national schedules, and to secure a venue with a backup generator or alternative power. This experience taught us to always prepare for risks in advance so the event can continue smoothly without interruption.

6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)

We have already started sharing our project learnings and results through our social media platforms, where we posted updates, highlights, and impacts from the campaign. This helped us reach both local and regional community members quickly. Moving forward, we plan to publish a detailed Diff post that will capture the full learnings, challenges, and outcomes of the campaign so that other communities can benefit from our experience and adapt some of the approaches in their own contexts

Part 3: Metrics

7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)

In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.

Target Results Comments and tools used
Number of participants 30 52
Number of editors 20 49
Number of organizers 4 4
Wikimedia project Target Result - Number of created pages Result - Number of improved pages
Wikipedia 200 228 469
Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote
Wikivoyage
Wikibooks
Wikiversity
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia

8. Other Metrics results.

In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.

Other Metrics name Metrics Description Target Result Tools and comments

9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)

No

9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)

Part 4: Financial reporting

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10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)

5376751

11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)

2000

12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)

Provide the link to the financial report https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ywSUqTuqkGXIR0dtSJfHQpM9Mt6C8RLha1Gj4ubpE7E/edit?usp=sharing


12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)


13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?

No

13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.

N/A

13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?

N/A

13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.

N/A

14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?

Yes

14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?

Yes

14.3. 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

15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)


Review notes

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Review notes from Program Officer:

N/A

Applicant's response to the review feedback.

N/A