Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Feminism and Folklore 2026 in Gungbe (ID: 23631940)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
DonKevin
- Organization
Gungbe Wikimedians User Group
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
I'm a group leader of a Wikimedia User Group (submitted to the Affiliation Committee).
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
- Strategic planning and coordination: guides the overall direction of the group, plans activities aligned with Wikimedia’s mission, and ensures smooth coordination among members.
- Grant proposal writing: responsible for preparing and submitting grant proposals on behalf of the group to support events, campaigns, or projects.
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Feminism and Folklore 2026 in Gungbe
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-02-01 - 2026-03-31
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Feminism and Folklore
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
The change we want to bring is to make Gungbe a living language on Wikipedia by using it to document women’s stories, folk traditions, and gender-centered cultural heritage. Through this project, we aim to close both the gender gap and the language gap on Wikimedia projects. Most content on Wikipedia about Nigerian folklore and women’s contributions to it exists only in dominant languages like English and French. As Gungbe speakers, we believe that our stories and knowledge deserve to exist online in our own language, for our future generations.
The main challenges we are solving are threefold:
- Lack of female representation on Gungbe Wikimedia projects. Very few biographies of Gungbe women or gender-related cultural topics exist.
- Low awareness and participation of Gungbe speakers in Wikimedia activities due to language barriers.
- Insufficient technical skills among new editors to translate, write, and verify content in Gungbe.
To achieve this change, we plan a six-day intensive training and writing contest that teaches participants how to edit, translate, and create new articles in Gungbe Wikipedia under the Feminism and Folklore 2026 Campaign. We will connect the global theme of Wiki Loves Folklore with local Gungbe contexts - such as women’s roles in folk songs, traditional birth practices, festivals, and oral storytelling.
Our approach combines capacity building, mentorship, and cultural revival. We will train new editors on feminist topics, ensure that women’s stories are represented fairly, and strengthen our local Wikimedia community by developing a core group of skilled Gungbe editors.
We plan to adopt the following approach:
- Organized Trainings and Editathons: We plan to organize six-day structured workshops to train participants on Wikipedia editing, content creation, and guidelines for writing on topics related to feminism and folklore.
- Localized Approach: We will focus on notable women in Gungbe folklore and culture to make the content relevant and engaging for participants.
- Long-Term Engagement: We will develop a mentorship program to provide ongoing support to contributors after the event, ensuring they remain active.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
Link to campaign event page:
Our planned activities span six days of intensive Wikipedia training, writing, and community building in Badagry. We plan to carry out the following activities:
- Pre-event planning and outreach: We will announce the project on community forums such as the Gungbe Wikipedia community discussion page, Gungbe Wikimedians User Group discussion page, social media, and WhatsApp groups. We will reach out to local cultural and feminist groups to encourage participation.
- Six-day training and editathon program: We will organize six workshops on the Gungbe Wikipedia. We will facilitate writing competitions focused on creating and improving articles on women, feminism, and folklore.
- Post-event mentoring program: We will pair new contributors with experienced mentors from our community for ongoing support. We will encourage participants to join Gungbe Wikimedians User Group and engage in future Wikimedia projects.
- Content Evaluation: We will evaluate the quality and reliability of articles created or improved during the event.
Detailed Program: Six-Day Training and Editathons
- Day 1: Introduction to Wikipedia and the Feminism and Folklore Contest: Overview of Wikipedia and Feminism and Folklore 2025, Introduction to Gender Gap on Wikipedia, Case Study: Women in Benin Folklore (e.g., notable figures such as Adélaïde Fassinou).
- Day 2: Wikipedia Editing Essentials: Basics of Wikipedia Editing (account creation, editing sandbox, Wiki Markup), Policies and Guidelines (notability, verifiability, reliable sources), Practical Session: Editing Practice in Gungbe Wikipedia.
- Day 3: Writing Biographies and Gender-Focused Articles: How to write biographies of women and gender-focused topics. Practical Session: Writing articles on notable Beninese women in folklore.
- Day 4: Documenting Folklore and Cultural Heritage: Exploring folklore through a gender lens. Identifying reliable sources for folklore topics. Practical Session: Developing folklore-related articles in Gungbe.
- Day 5: Writing Competition and Content Creation: Launch of the writing competition. Participants create and improve articles in real time. Facilitators provide guidance and feedback.
- Day 6: Closing and Reflection: Final edits and content review. Feedback Session: Lessons learned and areas for improvement. Recognition and rewards for top contributors.
To ensure post-event momentum, we will launch a mentorship program in which we will pair new contributors with experienced mentors for ongoing support. We will also conduct follow-up activities by organizing monthly editathons and community calls to maintain engagement. We will hold a community recognition event where we will showcase participants' contributions on our platforms.
We will evaluate the effectiveness of the workshops using a Google Form. We will use surveys to measure participants' growth in Wikipedia editing and gender-focused content creation. After each daily activity, we will collect feedback to improve subsequent sessions. We will ensure that experienced editors review all content created during the event to ensure its accuracy and reliability.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
- Project Lead, Technical Support and Evaluator: User:DonKevin - As an experienced editor, administrator on Gungbe Wikipedia and a leader of the Gungbe Wikipedians User Group with experience in organising Wikimedia events, I will coordinate the overall event, manage logistics, and liaise with the community. I will also provide technical support related to Gungbe Wikipedia and assist with quality assessment and metrics tracking.
- Training Facilitator: User:Misteld - As a seasoned contributor and admin on Gungbe Wikipedia, Misteld will lead the training sessions, guiding participants through the editing process and ensuring editing standards are maintained.
- Logistics Officer: User:Pingponging - A dedicated and experienced Gungbe Wikipedia admin, Pingponging will oversee venue arrangements, refreshments, internet access, and ensure proper documentation of the event.
- Mentorship Coordinator: User:Jamex18 - Jamex18 will lead training sessions during events and coordinate the post-event mentorship and peer review program, offering ongoing support to new editors and help with community engagement.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
Our target participants are members of Gungbe Wikimedians User Group, Gungbe speakers, women, teachers, students, cultural activists, and local historians from Badagry and surrounding Gungbe-speaking areas. We are particularly focusing on female participants who are bilingual in Gungbe and English, as they can easily contribute to translations and original content creation.
Before the event, we will conduct community outreach through our Gungbe Wikimedians User Group social media platforms and WhatsApp groups in Gungbe. We will share registration links and selected participants will receive orientation on what to expect.
During the event, we will use interactive teaching methods to keep the sessions lively. We will provide example articles to practice editing and help participants learn visually through demonstrations.
After the event, participants will be added to a Gungbe Wikimedia Mentorship WhatsApp group where weekly follow-up sessions and contests will continue. They will receive one-on-one guidance from experienced editors who will serve as mentors. We will also organize monthly edit-a-thons for sustained engagement.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
No
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
N/A
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
We hosted preliminary discussions on our User Group's WhatsApp group. After that a notification was posted on meta-wiki and Gungbe Wikipedia community discussion pages and further discussion continued on the community WhatsApp group. Community members provided insights on curriculum focus on the WhatsApp group.
- Gungbe Wikimedians User Group meta-wiki page notification
- Gungbe Wikipedia community discussion page notification
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Language
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Gender and diversity
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Linguistic / Language
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
We aim to:
- Understand how best to train new editors using culturally relevant examples.
- Measure what motivates local speakers to continue contributing to Gungbe Wikipedia.
- Evaluate how feminist and folklore topics can attract long-term participation and bridge gender gaps.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 40 | We plan to have 20 new participants and 20 returning participants |
| Number of editors | 40 | We plan to have 20 new registered users and 20 returning editors |
| Number of organizers | 4 | We will have 4 persons involved in implementing the activities |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 150 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
We plan to create 100 articles and improve 50 articles
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
Outreach dashboard, Campwiz, event registration tool
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uribqc6d90RVEGBIaIRE7D20Y3bcPJA0XAwNDAgkstM/edit?usp=sharing
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
2918000 NGN
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
1984.43 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).