Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Improving Local wikipedia, Dinka and Bari (ID: 23653041)/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)
During the implementation of the project, we successfully carried out a series of community engagement, training, and content development activities focused on revitalizing the Dinka and Bari Wikipedias. We established partnerships with local language associations, cultural groups, and educational institutions, which played a key role in identifying and mobilizing participants. We conducted hands-on training workshops in Juba and surrounding areas, where participants were introduced to Wikipedia editing, translation, and open knowledge principles. These sessions were complemented by the development of simplified editing guides and basic glossaries to support consistent contributions in both languages. To sustain engagement, we organized regular edit-a-thons—both in-person and online—where participants actively created and improved content related to culture, history, and everyday life. As a result, we saw strong participation from both new and returning editors, increased content contributions across Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata, and the emergence of a growing community of local language contributors. The most effective approaches in achieving these results were partnering with trusted community and language leaders to build credibility, using practical and interactive training methods that allowed participants to learn by doing, and maintaining continuous engagement through mentorship platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. These strategies not only strengthened participation but also helped foster a sense of ownership and pride among contributors, contributing to the sustainability of the initiative.
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
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Oral_History_South_Sudan
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
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Oral_History_South_Sudan
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 | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | 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, we hope to learn how to effectively build and sustain active Wikipedia communities in local South Sudanese languages. Our main learning questions include: 1) What strategies work best for engaging native speakers with little or no prior experience in Wikimedia projects? 2) How can collaboration with language and cultural associations strengthen contributions to Dinka and Bari Wikipedias? 3) What tools, training methods, or support structures most effectively help new editors continue contributing after initial workshops? 4) How can challenges around dialect differences and language standardization be addressed to ensure consistent content quality? The data and feedback we collect from participants, partners, and edit-a-thon outcomes will help us answer these questions and guide future efforts to expand local language Wikipedias in South Sudan.
Through the implementation of this project, we gained several important insights in response to our initial learning questions. First, we learned that engaging native speakers with little or no prior Wikimedia experience is most effective when training is highly practical, localized, and delivered in a supportive environment that values their language and identity. Participants responded better to hands-on editing sessions and culturally relevant examples than to purely theoretical instruction. Second, collaboration with language associations and cultural groups proved essential—not only for participant recruitment but also for building trust, ensuring linguistic accuracy, and strengthening the legitimacy of the project within communities. Third, we found that continuous support systems, such as WhatsApp and Telegram groups, mentorship from experienced Wikimedians, and regular edit-a-thons, were critical in retaining new editors and encouraging consistent contributions beyond initial trainings. Finally, regarding dialect and standardization challenges, we learned that fostering open dialogue among contributors and working towards flexible, community-agreed terminology is more practical than enforcing rigid standards at an early stage.
These learnings will directly inform our future work by shaping how we design and implement similar initiatives. We plan to prioritize community-led approaches, deepen partnerships with language and cultural institutions, and invest more in ongoing mentorship and engagement rather than one-off trainings. Additionally, we aim to further develop localized training materials and facilitate conversations around language standardization to improve content quality over time. Ultimately, these insights will help us build more sustainable, inclusive, and scalable models for growing local language Wikipedias in South Sudan and beyond.
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, several unexpected and surprising situations emerged during the implementation of our activities, both positive and challenging. On the positive side, we were surprised by the high level of enthusiasm and pride among participants when contributing content in their native languages. Many participants expressed that this was their first time seeing their language represented in a global digital space, which created a strong sense of ownership and motivation that exceeded our initial expectations. We also observed organic leadership emerging within the groups, with some participants naturally taking on mentoring roles and supporting their peers beyond the structured sessions.
On the challenging side, we encountered unexpected difficulties related to language standardization, as differences in dialects sometimes led to disagreements on spelling, terminology, and phrasing. Additionally, varying levels of digital literacy meant that some participants required more time and support than initially planned, which occasionally slowed down training progress. Internet connectivity and access to devices also posed limitations in certain sessions, affecting participation and consistency.
From these experiences, we learned the importance of flexibility and adaptability in project implementation. We recognized the need to allocate more time for foundational digital skills training and to design more inclusive support systems that accommodate different learning paces. We also learned that language development in such contexts should be approached as a collaborative and evolving process, rather than a fixed standard from the outset. Importantly, the unexpected enthusiasm and emergence of local champions reinforced the value of community-driven approaches, showing us that when people feel represented and empowered, they are more likely to sustain and grow the initiative independently.
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 plan to share our project learnings and results with other community members through a combination of online documentation, community discussions, and knowledge-sharing sessions. First, we will document the full project process, outcomes, and key lessons on our Meta-Wiki page for the Wikimedia Community User Group South Sudan, ensuring that the information is openly accessible to both local and global Wikimedia communities. This will include metrics, training approaches, challenges, and recommendations for similar language revitalization efforts.
In addition, we will organize a community debrief session—both online and in-person—where participants, organizers, and interested community members can reflect on the project, share experiences, and discuss improvements for future initiatives. We will also actively share highlights, success stories, and learning points through our existing communication channels, including WhatsApp and Telegram groups, to reach active contributors and maintain engagement.
Furthermore, we aim to present our experience in relevant Wikimedia forums and regional conversations, creating opportunities to exchange insights with other communities working on local language Wikipedias. Where possible, we will support peer learning by engaging directly with other user groups interested in similar work. If some of these steps have already begun, we have started by informally sharing updates and reflections within our community groups during and after activities, which has already sparked interest and discussions for scaling similar efforts. Overall, our approach is to ensure that our learnings are not only documented but also actively shared, discussed, and built upon within the wider Wikimedia movement.
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 | 80 | 50 | |
| Number of editors | 50 | 20 | |
| Number of organizers | 12 | 12 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 | 60 | 30 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 100 | 80 | 80 |
| Wikidata | 100 | ||
| 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)
2402402
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
4000
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/13O-qR7KIWA_sv2RUP_ipj8O7P-gofLk1702WZjZrurg/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)