Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Druz Campaign - WFM Arab World (ID: 23089481)/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)
Through this project, we focused on improving and expanding content about the Druze community on Arabic Wikipedia as part of the Wiki for Minorities initiative. The main goal was to give more visibility to this often underrepresented group by documenting their history, culture, and notable figures in a neutral and well-sourced way.
We organized an edit-a-thon dedicated to the Druze, where participants researched, wrote, and improved articles based on reliable references. Before the event, I prepared a list of missing and important topics, which helped editors focus their efforts on closing specific content gaps. We also offered training and one-on-one guidance for participants to ensure that the articles were written with accuracy and cultural sensitivity.
By the end of the project, we had created and improved a significant number of articles that now provide readers with a richer and more balanced understanding of the Druze community. Beyond the numbers, the project helped participants learn how to represent minority narratives respectfully and factually, which is something I deeply value in this kind of work.
Effective Approaches
What worked best was the community-driven approach — bringing together volunteers who were genuinely interested in learning about and representing the Druze community. Having open discussions and reviewing each other’s work made the process both educational and inspiring.
Providing continuous mentorship was also key; it made new editors feel more confident and supported throughout the project. Keeping the focus on a single minority group also allowed us to go deeper into research and ensure that the final content reflected both accuracy and respect.
Overall, this project showed that when people feel personally connected to the topic they’re writing about, the impact goes far beyond just the number of articles — it builds understanding, empathy, and a sense of shared purpose in documenting diverse human stories.
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 or any other Wikimedia: projecthttps://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7:%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AB%D9%88%D9%86_%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A_%D8%AF%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2_2025
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Wiki_for_Minorities/Marathon_WikiDruze_2025
- Important social media posts:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16ax5H2MoE/
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
NA
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: Through this project, I hope to learn how to better identify and address content gaps on Arabic Wikipedia, particularly in underrepresented topics such as the Druze community and people with special needs. By systematically scanning, listing, and translating missing articles, I aim to deepen my skills in content gap analysis, translation prioritization, and community-driven knowledge enrichment.
Additionally, I would like to learn more about effective strategies for community engagement and volunteer mobilization. By running a wide-reaching marketing campaign across social media, Wikipedia, email lists, and editor groups, I aim to understand which channels and messaging approaches best motivate contributors, especially in niche topics.
Finally, I hope to learn how to manage a live, evolving contest over time—regularly updating article lists and maintaining momentum throughout the project duration. If we reach our goal of 300 new articles, it would provide valuable insights into sustainable volunteer engagement, scalable content generation models, and best practices for replicating similar initiatives across other knowledge gaps.
Overall, this project will enhance my experience in project management, volunteer coordination, targeted content creation, and impact measurement in the Wikimedia movement.
Through this project, I learned a lot about how to identify and address content gaps more effectively on Arabic Wikipedia. Focusing on the Druze community helped me see that gaps are not only about missing articles, but also about missing voices and perspectives. I became more confident in balancing cultural sensitivity with neutrality, which I’ll carry into future work on other underrepresented topics.
I also learned the value of structure and clarity — having well-organized topic lists and reliable sources made it easier for volunteers to contribute meaningfully. On the engagement side, I found that personal connection matters most. Direct outreach and storytelling motivated contributors much more than general calls for participation, especially when they could see how their work filled real knowledge gaps.
Managing the project over time also taught me how important it is to keep momentum alive — by celebrating small wins, updating lists, and recognizing efforts along the way. These lessons will guide me in future projects within Wiki for Minorities and beyond, helping me design more inclusive, engaging, and sustainable initiatives.
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, a few unexpected situations came up during the implementation. One positive surprise was the high level of enthusiasm and participation from new contributors, especially from communities we hadn’t initially expected to be so engaged and especially for the content related to the people with special needs. This showed us that with the right outreach and localized approach, interest in Wikimedia projects can grow rapidly, even in less active regions. On the other hand, we also faced some challenges, mainly related to communication delays and logistical issues that affected our initial timelines. These situations taught us the importance of flexibility, early risk assessment, and having contingency plans. Overall, both the positive and negative surprises reinforced the value of adaptability and community-driven collaboration in achieving meaningful outcomes.
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 shared our project results and learnings on the project page on Arabic Wikipedia, making them accessible to the wider community. This allows contributors to review our progress, outcomes, and lessons learned directly in their preferred language. In addition, we plan to continue sharing key insights through Meta-Wiki summaries, blog posts, and community meetups to encourage dialogue and collaboration with other affiliates and contributors who may wish to replicate similar initiatives.
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 | 15 | 21 | |
| Number of editors | 15 | 21 | |
| Number of organizers | 2 | 2 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 300 | 743 | 0 |
| 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
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
3733000
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
2478
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Upload the financial report
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)