Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Oral History 2024 in South Sudan (ID: 22830432)/Final Report
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 30 January 2025
Funding program: Rapid Fund
Report type: Final
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their midpoint report. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.General information
[edit]- Applicant username: Lomoraronald
- Organization name: N/A
- Amount awarded: 3000
- Amount spent: 3000 USD, 3000000
Part 1: Project and impact
[edit]1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
We implemented a comprehensive plan to preserve South Sudan’s cultural heritage by engaging local communities and utilizing multimedia techniques. We built trust with tribal leaders and elders, conducted oral history interviews, and documented storytelling, songs, dances, and rituals through audio, video, and photography. A significant focus was placed on documenting indigenous names, which were often missing from Wikimedia platforms. We created entries for over 100 names in at least five languages on Wikidata, ensuring these cultural elements are preserved and accessible.
The collected materials were processed, transcribed, and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons with detailed metadata for accessibility. Additionally, we trained community members in multimedia recording and archiving, empowering them to manage their own digital heritage. We also developed educational resources and collaborated with cultural organizations and institutions to expand our impact.
The most effective approaches included direct engagement with communities, trust-building through discussions, and capacity-building workshops. Partnering with local organizations and leveraging Wikimedia platforms significantly enhanced our reach and sustainability.
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/File:Oral_History_and_Wiki_names_South_Sudan.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oral_History_and_Wiki_names_South_Sudan_2.jpg
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://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikinames_South_Sudan_2025
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 | 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
[edit]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: We hope to learn how to effectively preserve and document endangered oral traditions and cultural knowledge from South Sudan’s diverse tribes. Additionally, we aim to understand the best practices for community engagement, building sustainable partnerships, and ensuring cultural sensitivity. This project will also help us explore how digital tools like Wikimedia platforms can amplify the accessibility and preservation of these cultural heritages.
We realized that much of our cultural and linguistic heritage is still missing from Wikimedia projects. Despite our efforts to preserve oral history, we identified a significant gap—many indigenous South Sudanese names are absent from Wikidata. This gap highlighted the need to not only document oral traditions but also ensure that fundamental aspects of our identity, such as names, are represented in structured data.
As a result, we expanded our focus to include the documentation of indigenous names on Wikidata. So far, we have created entries for names in at least five languages, with over 100 names recorded and more still being added. This effort is now an integral part of our project, as reflected on our dashboard. Moving forward, we aim to continue enriching Wikimedia platforms with accurate and comprehensive cultural data.
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)
People were more open and willing to collaborate than before, especially the elders we engaged with. They showed great enthusiasm in sharing their knowledge, making the documentation process smoother and more enriching. Additionally, several organizations have expressed interest in partnering with us in the future, recognizing the value of our work and the impact of preserving South Sudan’s cultural heritage. This growing support strengthens our commitment to expanding the project and fostering more collaborations in the next phase.
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 through Wikimedia platforms, community meetings, and partnerships with cultural and educational institutions. We will publish our findings on Meta-Wiki, contribute to Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, and present at relevant conferences and workshops. Additionally, we aim to engage local communities through radio discussions, social media updates, and storytelling sessions to raise awareness about the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge. Some of these efforts have already started, with discussions in Wikimedia groups and interest from potential partners for future collaborations.
Part 3: Metrics
[edit]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 | 50 | 50 | Mostly local elders, so they may not have been represented in the dashboard |
| Number of editors | 20 | 20 | About 11 registered on the dashboard, due to IP blocks |
| Number of organizers | 5 | 5 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | wiki data | |||
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
Yes
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)
Sometimes the dashboard fails to populate the results but it gets better eventually later
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
3000000
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/1SHOl_LifhAI1lfzdeR3kzcExlQ7eOa2a-H0KQ6O68oY/edit?gid=928458698#gid=928458698
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)
This was an awesome project, and we hope to do way better next time
Review notes
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A