Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Program 2025 (ID: 23644693)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Ibjaja055
- 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.
Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Program 2025
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-01-30 - 2026-06-30
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Regional (more than one country in the same continent or region) With the data pulled from our quarterly updated Statistical metapage, the following countries are among the lowest countries with contents on both wikidata and Wikipedia and we would be priortising them; Eritrea (1 academics), Seychelles (0 academics), Malawi (11 academics), Lesotho (0 Academics), Namibia (7 academics without a single female) South Sudan (4 academics and scientists) and Tanzania. You can read more from our statistical metapage
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Other (please specify) Content gaps, mentorship and trainings
- 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 Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Program 2025 is an initiative under the broader Wiki Afrodemics Project, dedicated to improving both the quality and quantity of contents related to African scholars and scientists. Over the past three years, the project has operated successfully at the national level in Nigeria, where we have implemented two major programs; Wiki Loves Afrodemics 2023 and Wiki Loves Afrodemics 2025.
Also, to further strengthening our project, we introduced the Wiki Afrodemics Partnership Programmes. We have been able able to secure partnerships with Wikimedia Deutschland and African Wiki Women to celebrate Wikidata’s Birthday by focusing on adding employer statements to African Women in Academics. You can read more on our metapage. In the month of October 2025 we also had a partnership deal with African Wiki Women to further curate notable contents for Women in academics on Wikipedia. This is to ensure that the current gender gaps on Wikipedia about women in academics are bridged.
However, our quarterly statistical database designed for the 57 African countries, reveals that, while Nigeria has made remarkable progress, currently leading with 1,627 academics and scientists on Wikidata, of which 481 have Wikipedia pages, other African countries continue to lag. In West Africa, for instance, countries such as Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Togo each have fewer than ten documented academicians, with fewer than 5 women academicians. The same pattern of content and gender gaps persists across most countries in East, Central, and Northern Africa. A detailed statistical report is available on our Meta-Wiki page
To bridge this gap, the Wiki Afrodemics Project Mentorship Programme has been designed as a five-month program targeting countries with limited Wikimedia content and participation. The project aims to recruit and mentor 30 emerging editors, equipping them with the skills to contribute to Wikimedia projects, lead community training sessions, mobilize resources for local initiatives, and become active members of the broader Wikimedia community.
Approaches:
1. Call for Applications: A call for applications will be announced across various Wikimedia User Group WhatsApp channels and our social media platforms. This open call will encourage participation from the targeted underrepresented countries and communities.
2. Onboarding of Participants:
A total of 30 participants will be onboarded, with priority given to individuals from countries with limited content about African academics and scientists. Participants will be introduced to Wikimedia platforms, project goals, and the expectations of mentorship.
3. Mentorship Phase: Each facilitator will mentor 10 participants for one month, rotating over three months to provide diverse learning experiences. This phase will also include a dedicated month of training on resource mobilisation and sustainable project design within the Wikimedia ecosystem.
5. Guided Edit-a-thon: Participants will engage in a three-month guided edit-a-thon, contributing high-quality content about African scholars and scientists to Wikipedia and Wikidata. This phase emphasizes both quantitative and qualitative improvement of existing content gaps.
6. Final Presentation and Showcase: In the final month, participants will make mini-presentations highlighting their learning outcomes, individual achievements, and proposed community projects to further expand the reach and sustainability of the Wiki Afrodemics movement.
- 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.
Planned Activities:
1. Call for Applications:
a. Public announcement of the mentorship program through Wikimedia User Group channels, social media platforms, and partner networks.
b. Selection of qualified applicants from underrepresented African countries with low academic and scientific content on Wikimedia platforms.
2. Participant Onboarding and Orientation:
a. Introduction of 30 selected participants to Wikimedia projects, mentorship structure, and project goals.
3. Mentorship Program:
a. Pairing of participants with experienced facilitators for a three-month rotational mentorship.
b. Hands-on guidance on editing skills, community engagement, and leadership within the Wikimedia ecosystem.
c. A dedicated month on resource mobilization and project sustainability training for the participants.
4. Guided Edit-a-thons:
a. Conduct of a three-month edit-a-thon focused on creating and improving articles and items about African academics and scientists.
b. Continuous supervision and quality review by facilitators to ensure accuracy and compliance with Wikimedia standards.
5. Peer Learning and Knowledge Exchange Sessions:
a. Monthly virtual check-in involving all the participants to share progress, challenges, and success stories.
b. Cross-country collaboration among participants to enhance regional representation.
6. Final Presentation and Showcase:
a. Participants present their learning outcomes, contributions, and proposed future community projects.
b. Recognition of outstanding participants and facilitators.
7. Documentation and Reporting:
a. Compilation of project outcomes, participant feedback, and impact metrics.
b. Publication of a final report on the diff blog for transparency and community engagement.
- 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.
Ibjaja055 is an experienced Wikimedia projects volunteer He was the 2023 Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Editor of the Year. He is a new page reviewer, AfC reviewer and auto-patroller on the English Wikipedia. He has made nearly 30,000 edits across Wikimedia Foundation projects and has created over 300 articles about African Academics and scientists, including good articles. His contributions can be seen here and here.
Roles: The project coordinator and train the participants on resource mobilisation.
FuzzyMagma is an experienced Wikimedia volunteer who has been contributing to Wikimedia and its sister projects for years. He has created close to 300 articles around African academics and scientists. He has over 42,000 edits across Wikimedia Foundation projects and has improved 16 articles to good articles as it can be seen here and [1]
Roles: Wikipedia mentor and will train the participants on presentation skills
Ojewuyib is a fellow of African Wiki Women and an experienced Wikimedia volunterr. She has over 5 thousand edits across Wikimedia platforms and she is going to be the Wikidata trainer and communication officer.
- 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)
We are focusing on participants from Africa with priorities from the following countries Eritrea, Seychelles, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, South Sudan and Tanzania. This is because our statistical report indicates extreme lack of contents related to African Academics and scientists from the countries. After the project, they will be added to the Wiki Afrodemics Community and they will also be guided on how to mobilise resources for their local initiatives.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 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.
[The Youth Safety Policy https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Friendly_space_policy#Youth_Safety] would be summarised and read at the beginning of each event
- 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.
I have discussed it with the Wiki Afrodemics Community which can be seen here. I have also discussed with other priortised communities involved such as the Tanzania, South Sudan, Lesotho and Malawi
- 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)
Content Gender gap
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Education
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Geographic
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Did the project Onboard 30 participants?
Did the project provide mentorships for the participants on WIkipedia and Wikidata?
Did the project provide mentorships for the participants on resource mobilisation and sustainability?
Did the project provide supervised edit-a-thons for participants to confidently edit?
Did the participants showcased their proposed community project?
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 30 | The total number of fellows/participants that would onboarded by the project |
| Number of editors | 30 | The total number of editors would be onboarded. It will be a mixture of new and returning users. The would be divided into three. A group of ten and would be handled by each of the facilitators. |
| Number of organizers | 3 | The facilitators would handle a group of ten participants, and there would be a rotation of mentors after each month. |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 1350 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | 1350 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
After a month of training, each participant will be guided for three months of hands-on experience training. For each month, each participant is expected to edit/improve/ create 15 Wikidata items and 15 Wikipedia items.
Wikipedia 15x 30 people x 3 months = 1350 Wikidata 15x 30 People x 3 months = 1350
- 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)
Hashtag: WAMP2025
Wikimedia Outrach Dashboard and participants contribution form
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)
6520302.6 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.
4562.33 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).