Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Bridging Knowledge Gaps for Human and Environmental Rights 2025 (ID: 23446881)/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 project was implemented through a series of structured activities that included training sessions, awareness engagements, practical field or editing activities, continuous support, and documentation. Training workshops were conducted to introduce participants to the WikiforHumanRights Campaign, provide technical guidance, and give them confidence to participate. These sessions were followed by awareness messages and coordination meetings to inform people about the project and encourage active involvement.
Hands-on activities formed a central component of the implementation. Participants engaged in practical work such as editing, uploading, and documentation. This ensured that the project did not remain theoretical but produced tangible contributions aligned with its goals. To maintain momentum, continuous follow-up was provided through communication channels where participants could ask questions and receive assistance whenever needed.
Throughout the implementation phase, updates were shared on public platforms to maintain visibility and accountability. Feedback was also collected to understand participant experiences and improve as the project progressed. These documentation efforts helped to record lessons learned and highlight achievements in a structured manner.
The project achieved several key results. A number of individuals participated for the first time and gained new skills through direct practice. New and improved articles were created, which increased the availability and quality of information about Human Rights and the environment.
The most effective approaches were those that combined training with immediate practical application, provided continuous support after the initial sessions, and used simple communication channels for coordination. Making progress visible also kept people motivated. Overall, the project design successfully linked capacity-building, participation, and output production in a way that enabled meaningful 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
Project Metapage: https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event:WikiForHumanRights_Campaign_2025_in_Tanzania
Dashboard to track contributions: https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Global_WikiEducation_Initiative/WikiForHumanRights_2025_in_Tanzania
Pictures taken during the event: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiForHumanRights_2025_in_Tanzania
Important social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQQvWMSiHJo/?img_index=6&igsh=OTl1d2RjOTRoaXRo
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
Presentation slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19yy2J10ntKLWwsG4D2FNrgvCbvjtPoHwizp57U99LKQ/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p
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 | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Strongly agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly 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: How to bridge knowledge and language gaps on climate and environmental topics through community driven content creation, particularly in local languages.
The role of Wikimedia projects (e.g. Wikipedia, Wikidata) in advancing awareness, education, and local action around climate change and human rights issues.
Best practices for collaboration with environmental and human rights organizations, to ensure accuracy, impact, and sustainability of the knowledge being shared.
During the implementation of the project, the learning questions guided both reflection and adaptation. One core question was whether community-driven approaches can effectively bridge knowledge and language gaps on climate and environmental topics. From the activities and results, we learned that when people are trained and given supportive follow-up, they are able to translate and contextualize climate information into local languages with high quality. This confirmed that local contributors can meaningfully transform abstract global topics into content that is culturally and linguistically accessible.
A second learning question focused on whether Wikimedia platforms are practical and impactful tools for raising awareness and documenting environmental issues. The implementation showed that Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Commons are not only technically accessible but also powerful in amplifying local realities especially when communities work on topics directly connected to their lived experiences. Contributors reported that documenting these topics improved their own understanding and gave them confidence to speak about climate and human rights in other spaces.
A third learning question explored how collaboration with environmental and human-rights organizations could strengthen content accuracy and sustainability. We learned that such partnerships are most effective when they are co-designed from the beginning rather than invited after content is created. When organizations serve as knowledge partners, sharing verified resources, validating drafts, and co-hosting activities, the output is more reliable and more likely to be used beyond Wikimedia.
These learnings will inform future work in several ways. First, future programs will integrate mentorship and follow-up as a standard component, acknowledging that continuity is as important as initial training. Second, partnerships with expert organizations will be built earlier and intentionally, ensuring that content is credible and that partners see value in sustaining the work. Third, we will continue prioritizing local languages and community knowledge, using this model to expand contributions in other thematic areas such as public health, indigenous knowledge, or gender.
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)
On the positive side, one surprising outcome was the level of enthusiasm from first-time contributors. Many participants who initially joined only out of curiosity later became highly active and continued contributing even after the organized sessions ended. This demonstrated that when people are given the right entry point and feel supported, they are more motivated than expected to stay engaged. It also confirmed that capacity-building has a multiplier effect when participants are empowered early and encouraged to take ownership.
On the other hand, a notable challenge was that some participants struggled more than anticipated with technical steps such as uploading content, citing reliable sources, or navigating Wikimedia interfaces. This created delays and required more one-on-one support than originally planned. The experience taught us that providing training alone is not enough; continuous follow-up, patience, and creating safe spaces for questions are critical to maintaining participation and preventing drop-off.
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)
I will be sharing the project learnings through a detailed written report that will be publicly accessible to the Wikimedia community. In addition to the formal report, I will publish a Diff post to make the key insights and outcomes more visible and easier to disseminate across the wider movement. This will ensure that others can reflect on the lessons, adapt the approach to their own contexts, and build on the experience generated through this project.
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 | 35 | 24 | Event registration tool |
| Number of editors | 35 | 24 | Event registration tool |
| Number of organizers | 3 | 3 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 50 | 100 | 50 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |||
| Wikidata | 100 | 100 | 50 |
| 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)
7509480
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
3000
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/1mNJugqw7iJWKqgtS98CX9fH85QZZPF-reJUg3f9jI9w/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
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A