Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/African Legislators in Red 2025 (ID: 23535160)/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)
The African Legislators in Red 2025 project was carried out between 10 November 2025 to 31 December 2025 using a mix of awareness creation, physical training, and online trainings. This approach helped us reach contributors across different locations while keeping everyone focused on the shared goal of reducing content gaps around Nigerian legislators.
Implemented Activities and Results
We began by creating awareness around the project and the scale of missing and underdeveloped articles on Nigerian legislators. This helped spark interest and brought together both new and experienced editors who were motivated to help close these gaps. The conversations generated during this phase also helped participants better understand why this project matters. We followed up with online training sessions and coordinated editing activities. These virtual engagements made it possible for contributors who will not attend the physical event to participate fully, while also giving everyone continued access to mentorship and peer support. A key moment in the project was the physical training held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. This session allowed participants to learn by working directly on articles about legislators, asking questions in real time, and supporting one another. Participants were trained on key areas such as notability, sourcing, article structure, categorization, image use and other stuffs. The participants also received practical guidance on contributing to Wikidata to support structured data. Throughout the project, attention was paid to legislators in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and State Houses of Assembly, Ministers, Commissioners, Judges, as well as other notable politicians captured in the Notability for Politicians. Women and other underrepresented groups were also attended to.
Results Achieved
The project recorded strong and meaningful outcomes across different platforms as Over 150 articles were created on English Wikipedia and over 500 articles were improved, surpassing the 200 target we proposed. Also, 600+ items were created on Wikidata. In addition, many existing stub articles were expanded with better sourcing, clearer structure, and improved categorization.
Most Effective Approach
The most effective approach was the combination of physical and online engagement. The in-person event in Uyo built trust, confidence, and a sense of community, while the online sessions provided flexibility and helped sustain participation over time. Clear focus areas, practical hands-on editing, and continuous mentorship also made it easier for participants to stay engaged and see the direct impact of their contributions.
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
- Project page on Meta-wiki - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/African_Legislators_in_Red_2025
- Outreach dashboard - https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/ALiR/African_Legislators_in_Red_2025_(2025)
- Photos taken during the physical training can be found here.
- Charles Aniagwu was the article we created during the physical training, some other articles created can be found here.
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
Links to some of the training materials: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG4rauYslg/625kxgBX6cjyGQnPzcgirw/edit?utm_content=DAG4rauYslg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
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)
| 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 | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Strongly agree |
| 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: Did the project train both new and existing editors?
Did the project help close knowledge gaps by improving content about Nigerian legislators?
Did the project help close gender gaps related to Nigerian legislators?
Did the project create new articles about Nigerian legislators?
Did the project improve existing articles about Nigerian legislators?
Did participants continue contributing to Wikipedia and Wikidata after the project ended?
- Did the project train both new and existing editors?
Yes, it did. We saw new editors grow from being unsure about where to start to confidently editing and creating articles. At the same time, experienced editors sharpened their skills and took on mentorship roles. Learning together in both online sessions and the physical training created a friendly, supportive space where everyone felt comfortable asking questions and learning from one another.
- Did the project help close knowledge gaps by improving content about Nigerian legislators?
Yes. Many participants were surprised by how much information about Nigerian legislators was either missing or poorly developed. By working directly on these gaps, contributors were able to add reliable sources, expand short articles, and improve overall coverage. It was rewarding for participants to see how their work immediately improved public access to information.
- Did the project help close gender gaps related to Nigerian legislators?
Yes, intentionally so. The project placed strong emphasis on improving coverage of Nigerian legislators and, in doing so, also addressed gender gaps. Many female lawmakers had little or no online presence, so by creating and improving their articles on English Wikipedia and adding related items to Wikidata, we helped increase their visibility. Although the project made meaningful progress, there is still more work needed to achieve equal representation of female legislators across Wikimedia platforms.
- Did the project create new articles about Nigerian legislators?
Yes. Creating new articles can be intimidating, especially for new editors, but with clear guidance and hands-on support, participants were able to overcome that fear. Over 150 new articles were created, some by contributors who were writing new articles for the first time, which was a major confidence boost for them.
- Did the project improve existing articles about Nigerian legislators?
Yes. A large number of existing articles were expanded and cleaned up.
- Did participants continue contributing to Wikipedia and Wikidata after the project ended?
Yes. Some participants stayed active after the project, continuing to edit Wikipedia and contribute to Wikidata.
Looking ahead, we plan to apply these lessons by continuing to blend physical and online activities, as this approach helps people stay connected and involved regardless of location. We also want to place more emphasis on mentorship, since having guidance and encouragement made a real difference for participants. We will keep being intentional about supporting underrepresented groups, especially women, and make sure they remain a clear focus in future projects. In addition, we plan to strengthen post-project follow-up through edit-a-thons and regular online check-ins to help contributors stay active. Overall, these learnings will guide us in building Wikimedia projects that feel more supportive, inclusive, and sustainable over time.
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)
Nothing unexpected happened.
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)
Our main way of sharing what we learned from the project is through the training materials we developed. The slides used during the sessions will be shared with participants in our local WhatsApp group, so everyone can easily access and refer back to them. We will also announce the availability of these materials in the Wikimedia Nigeria User Group WhatsApp channel to encourage reuse and support other community members in applying the lessons learned.
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 | 55 | 70 | 70 participants applied through our Google forms. |
| Number of editors | 52 | 62 | Outreach dashboard |
| Number of organizers | 3 | 3 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 200 | 151 | 2029 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 20 | 30 | 20 |
| Wikidata | 200 | 870 | 600 |
| 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
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
3223330
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
2200
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/1JK_qsM6P0gzJ0uXTky0IjUS7escT7mDz2acJ-3uRpdY/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)