Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Namibian local languages learning materials (ID: 22396846)
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Applicant Details[edit]
- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Jacobamakali
- Organization
N/A
- 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)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal[edit]
- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Namibian local languages learning materials
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2024-02-05 - 2024-05-30
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
International (more than one country across continents or regions) Namibia is a country located in southwestern Africa, bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia and Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. It is known for its diverse ethnic groups and languages. The four languages mentioned, Oshindonga, Oshikwanyama, Rukwangali, and Afrikaans, are spoken by various communities within Namibia. Oshindonga and Oshikwanyama are Bantu languages belonging to the Ovambo language group. They are primarily spoken by the Ovambo people, who constitute the largest ethnic group in Namibia. These languages are widely used in northern Namibia and have significant cultural and historical importance to the region. Rukwangali is a dialect of the Herero language, which is spoken by the Herero people. The Herero community is mainly found in central and eastern Namibia. Rukwangali holds cultural significance for this community and plays a vital role in preserving their heritage. Afrikaans, on the other hand, is a West Germanic language that originated from Dutch. It developed as a lingua franca during Namibia's colonial period under German and South African rule. Afrikaans is still widely spoken in Namibia today and serves as a bridge between different ethnic groups. Promoting these languages through the development of learning materials is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it helps preserve and revitalize indigenous languages that are at risk of being marginalized or lost over time. By providing free access to learning resources online, individuals worldwide can learn about these languages, fostering cultural appreciation and understanding. Furthermore, promoting these languages contributes to linguistic diversity globally. Each language carries unique cultural knowledge, expressions, and perspectives that enrich our collective human experience. Preserving linguistic diversity is essential for maintaining a vibrant global cultural tapestry. To ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness in developing the learning materials, collaboration with experts and native speakers is vital. Engaging linguists, language educators, and community members who are fluent in these languages will help guarantee the materials reflect the nuances, grammar, vocabulary, and cultural context accurately. The strategy for global promotion and dissemination of the language learning resources can involve several approaches. Firstly, leveraging existing platforms such as Wikimedia Foundation's projects like Wikipedia can provide a solid foundation for hosting and distributing the materials. Creating dedicated sections or portals for each language can ensure easy access and navigation. Collaborating with local educational institutions, language centers, and community organizations in Namibia can help raise awareness about the availability of these resources. This can be done through workshops, seminars, and partnerships to integrate the materials into formal and informal language learning programs.
Additionally, engaging with international language learning communities and organizations can help promote the resources globally. Partnering with established language learning platforms, online forums, and social media groups can expand the reach of the materials to a wider audience interested in learning these languages.
In conclusion, developing free-access language learning materials for Oshindonga, Oshikwanyama, Rukwangali, and Afrikaans in Namibia is an important initiative to preserve linguistic diversity, promote cultural understanding, and provide educational opportunities. Collaboration with experts and native speakers ensures accuracy and cultural appropriateness. The strategy for global promotion involves leveraging existing platforms, collaborating with local institutions, and engaging with international language learning communities.
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Not applicable
- 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 I am trying to bring through my project is to provide free and accessible language learning materials for three to four Namibian local languages, namely Oshindonga, Oshikwanyama, Rukwangali, and Afrikaans. The main challenge or problem I am trying to solve is the lack of easily accessible and comprehensive language learning resources for these specific languages. Namibia is a linguistically diverse country with numerous indigenous languages spoken by different communities. However, the availability of educational materials and resources for learning these languages is limited, especially in digital formats that can be accessed globally. This creates a barrier for individuals who are interested in learning these languages but do not have access to appropriate learning materials. To address this challenge, my project aims to develop high-quality language learning materials for Oshindonga, Oshikwanyama, Rukwangali, and Afrikaans. These materials will be designed to cater to learners of different proficiency levels, from beginners to advanced learners. The approach to achieving this change involves several key steps: Research and Content Development: Extensive research will be conducted on the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural aspects of each language. This will ensure that the learning materials are accurate and culturally relevant. The content will be developed in collaboration with native speakers and language experts to ensure authenticity. Curriculum Design: A structured curriculum will be designed for each language, outlining the progression of topics and skills to be covered at each level. This will provide learners with a clear learning path and enable them to track their progress. Multimedia Resources: The learning materials will incorporate various multimedia resources such as audio recordings, interactive exercises, and quizzes. These resources will enhance the learning experience by providing opportunities for listening, speaking, reading, and writing practice. Online Platform: An online platform will be developed to host the language learning materials. This platform will be user-friendly and accessible to anyone with an internet connection. It will allow learners to access the materials at their own pace and convenience, from anywhere in the world. Community Engagement: To ensure the sustainability of the project, efforts will be made to engage with the local communities speaking these languages. This will involve seeking feedback, incorporating community suggestions, and encouraging community participation in the development and improvement of the learning materials.
By providing free and easily accessible language learning materials for Oshindonga, Oshikwanyama, Rukwangali, and Afrikaans, my project aims to empower individuals who are interested in learning these languages, this can be anyone outside Namibia or Africa and would like to visit. It will contribute to preserving and promoting Namibian cultural heritage while fostering linguistic diversity and understanding.
- 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.
- 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.
My team consists of the following people: Language expert per each language; software developer expert.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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)
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Learning and metrics[edit]
- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | ||
| Number of editors | ||
| Number of organizers |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abtsract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 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)
Financial proposal[edit]
- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
- 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.
USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
No
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).