Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Visibilizing Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria (ID: 23081359)/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)
The Visibilizing Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria project was designed to promote the documentation and visibility of minority languages in the region through Wikimedia projects. By combining photography, physical trainings, and online sessions, the project engaged diverse participants to capture linguistic heritage, train new editors, and raise awareness about the importance of preserving and documenting minority languages on Wikipedia and its sister projects.
- Photo Walk and Documentation
From the start of the project, a series of photo walks were organized in Dutse and its surrounding communities to document the daily lives, cultural practices, and linguistic heritage of minority language speakers. over 350 Photographs captured included community activities, traditional artifacts, and oral storytelling scenes. These images were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, providing open access resources that reflect the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Northern Nigeria.
- Trainings & Capacity Building
1. Physical Training (3 Days in Dutse)
We hosted three days of in-person workshops in Dutse to build participant skills in Wikimedia editing and language documentation in which over 300 articles were created
- Day 1: Introduction to Wikimedia projects and their role in preserving minority languages.
- Day 2: Practical training on Wikipedia editing, uploading photographs, and creating content related to linguistic communities.
- Day 3: Wikidata session focusing on structured data and how it supports multilingual visibility.
These sessions were anchored by experienced Wikimedians El-hussain14 Umargana1 and supported by local language advocates.
- Online Training (3 Sessions)
In addition to the physical meetups, we organized three online trainings that allowed broader participation across Northern Nigeria. These sessions focused on: 1. Raising awareness of the importance of documenting minority languages. 2. Hands-on tutorials for account creation and contributions to Wikipedia. 3. Strategies for sustaining engagement and encouraging community-led initiatives. 4. Partnerships & Community Engagement
- The project collaborated with
- Local cultural associations in Dutse.
- Student groups advocating for linguistic diversity.
- Grassroots networks that promote minority rights and inclusion.
Through these partnerships, we recruited new volunteers, strengthened awareness, and built a foundation for continued advocacy of minority languages in Wikimedia projects.
- Outcomes
- Hundreds of photographs showcasing minority languages and cultures uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
- 3 physical trainings held in Dutse with strong local participation.
- 3 online trainings delivered, enabling wider regional involvement.
- New volunteers recruited and trained to contribute content on minority languages.
- Increased awareness of the role of Wikimedia projects in preserving linguistic diversity in Northern Nigeria.
- Conclusion
The Visibilizing Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria project successfully combined documentation, training, and community mobilization to highlight the importance of minority languages. By empowering local communities and volunteers, the project made meaningful contributions towards the preservation and visibility of underrepresented languages on Wikimedia platforms.
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
- Training Materials
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_audio_material_of_five_pillars_of_wikipedia.wav
- Dashboard Link
https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Fulfulde_Wikipedia,_Central_Kanuri_Wikipedia_and_Bole_Wikipedia/Visibilizing_Minority_languages_in_Northern_Nigeria https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steps_to_Article_translation.wav
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
- Additional Materials Links
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steps_to_Article_translation.wav https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_audio_material_of_five_pillars_of_wikipedia.wav
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/09/27/visibilizing-minority-languages-in-northern-nigeria/
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 | 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, we hope to learn a lot, starting from preserving, documenting, showcasing and sharing the rich cultural heritage of the multilingual languages across Northern Nigeria. We want to find out the best ways to collect and document local knowledge, making sure it's accurate and interesting for readers on Wikipedia.
- We'll also learn about the challenges and opportunities of training and motivating a diverse group of people, including students, academics, researchers and young people, to contribute to this important work. By working closely with local historians, academics, and community leaders, we aim to see how their expertise can enrich our project.
- Another key approach we want to understand, is how making more information about linguistic Minority culture available online affects the community. Will it lead to more people reading and engaging into minority language in Wikipedia? We're excited to find out.
- Collaboration and partnership are crucial for any project to succeed. We hope to learn how our partnership with research institutes National Institutes for Nigeria Languages [NINLAN], Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore [CRNLTF] Language Development Center [LCD] these collaborations can help us create high-quality content that truly reflects our language history.
- Finally, we aim to develop a sustainable model for future projects. This will help us and others replicate our success in different regions and languages, contributing to the global effort to preserve cultural heritage through Wikimedia projects.
- Through the implementation of our project, we gained valuable insights from the learning questions we set out with:
1. Preserving and documenting cultural heritage: We learned that documenting minority languages requires not only technical accuracy but also community trust and engagement. The best results came when we worked directly with native speakers, community leaders, and local historians, ensuring that the information uploaded to Wikipedia was both reliable and meaningful. This showed us that cultural preservation must be community-driven to be authentic.
2. Training and motivating diverse participants: We discovered that motivation varies across different groups. Students and young people were often enthusiastic about the digital skills and visibility that Wikipedia provides, while academics and researchers valued the opportunity to preserve knowledge and share their expertise. A blended training approach practical editing skills combined with discussions on cultural relevance proved most effective in sustaining engagement.
3. Impact of online visibility: We observed that making minority language content visible online sparked curiosity and pride among community members. Participants reported increased interest in learning and contributing more about their languages. This confirmed that online visibility can foster a sense of ownership and motivate wider participation in Wikimedia projects.
4. Value of partnerships and collaborations: Our partnerships with institutions such as NINLAN, CRNLTF, and LCD added depth and credibility to the content produced. They also created opportunities for long-term collaboration beyond the project timeline. We learned that strong institutional partnerships are essential to ensuring both quality and sustainability.
5. Building a sustainable model: The project demonstrated that a sustainable model is achievable by combining capacity building, community ownership, and institutional collaboration. By documenting our processes and creating replicable training materials, we set a foundation that can be adapted to other regions and languages.
6. Future use of these learnings: Moving forward, we will apply these learnings by strengthening community-centered documentation approaches, expanding partnerships with academic and cultural institutions, and creating more tailored training programs for different participant groups. Most importantly, we will use this model to scale future projects across other regions, thereby contributing to the global effort of preserving and showcasing cultural and linguistic diversity through Wikimedia platforms.
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)
In the course of the project, we experienced some delays due to unforeseen technical difficulties with our bus during the photo walk, which kept us stranded for about four hours before reaching our intended destination. Additionally, certain administrative challenges led to a temporary suspension of the project. However, after three weeks, these issues were successfully resolved, allowing us to resume activities and complete all pending tasks.
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)
Our plan to share the Visibilizing Minority Languages in Northern Nigeria project learnings and results is built around openness, accessibility, and collaboration. First, we intend to prepare a detailed project report and publish it on Wikimedia platforms such as Diff ensuring that the documentation is available for community members globally. This report will highlight our methodologies, challenges, achievements, and recommendations for future replication.
Secondly, we will organize local and online sharing sessions with Wikimedia communities in Nigeria and beyond. These sessions will provide a space to exchange ideas, answer questions, and inspire others who may want to implement similar initiatives in their own regions.
In addition, we plan to publish blog posts and short summaries on Diff and other Wikimedia affiliated communication channels. These will allow us to reach a wider audience, including those who may not have participated directly but are interested in cultural and linguistic preservation.
Partnerships also play a key role in our sharing strategy. By engaging institutions such as NINLAN and CRNLTF, we aim to create joint publications, academic presentations, and possibly conference contributions that highlight the importance of Wikimedia in language documentation.
If already partially done, we have started by sharing highlights of our photo walk, training sessions, and community engagements through social media and within our local user groups. This has already sparked discussions and encouraged new contributors to join.
In the future, we will continue to use these multiple platforms Meta-Wiki, online meetups, blogs, academic forums, and social media to ensure that the outcomes of this project are widely shared, easily accessible, and useful for other Wikimedia and cultural heritage communities.
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 | 100 | 100 | Wikimedia Dashboard tools and it’s very easy to use and satisfactory |
| Number of editors | 85 | 85 | Wikimedia Foundation Dashboard Tools and it’s very easy and satisfactory |
| Number of organizers | 4 | 4 | Wikimedia Foundation Dashboard Tools and it’s very easy and satisfactory |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 200 | 32 | 200 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 300 | 345 | 500 |
| Wikidata | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mentorship | Train our mentors who will continue guiding editors for the project sustainability. | 7 | 7 | Wikimedia Foundation Tools |
| Follow-up discussions with some professional body | Follow-up discussions with key personalities /subgroups/networks to evaluate the long-term impact of the training and development a promising project for all. | 3 | 3 | Wikimedia Foundation Tools |
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)
7693836.84
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
1929.95
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/1Kqr39dWVw5mCCg7GKgu9UXXvc-JuV780NAhBOlUJBnQ/edit?usp=drivesdk
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)
1. One key reflection from this project is the importance of balancing documentation with active community engagement. While collecting and uploading knowledge is vital most to the underrepresented communities for the long-term impact. Depending on empowering community members to continue the work independently. Future projects should therefore prioritize, mentorship and capacity building, ensuring that participants grow into leaders who can train others. 2. Another recommendation is to strengthen collaboration between Wikimedia communities and academic or cultural institutions. This not only adds credibility to the content produced but also bridges the gap between scholarly research and open knowledge platforms. 3. Finally, sustainability should be central to all project designs. Establishing clear follow-up mechanisms, such as creating peer-support groups, developing multilingual editing guides, and securing institutional buy-in, will help ensure that the progress made does not end with the project timeline. By reflecting on these aspects, we see that Wikimedia projects are most impactful when they move beyond short-term activities and become catalysts for long-lasting cultural preservation and digital inclusion.
Review notes
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A