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Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Loves Ramadan 2026 (ID: 23542328)/Final Report

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ZI Jony
Wiki Loves Ramadan 2026
01 November 2025 - 30 June 2026
Report ID: 12889
Report status: Under review
Report due date: 31 July 2026
Grant ID: G-RF-2508-19815
Amount funded: 10284.4 AED, 2800 USD
Amount spent: 10343.02 AED
Rapid Fund 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)

In Wiki Loves Ramadan 2026, we successfully implemented many activities across 36 countries. Our main activities was organizing virtual edit-a-thons, physical photowalks, and online training sessions. We also did cultural gatherings like Iftar or Suhoor meetups to bring community together. For example, our Uganda community organized a community Iftar dinner with 200 peoples, and in Uzbekistan, they did a offline photo tour to the Center of Islamic Civilization. To invite people, we also run a CentralNotice banner and social media campaigns.

We achieved huge results, much more than our initial targets. Here is our main results:

  • Participants: We got 557 participants, which is very high from our target of 300.
  • Active Editors & Organizers: We got 460 active editors and 97 local organizers.
  • Wikipedia: Volunteers created and improved 8,986 articles in many local languages (our target was 4,500).
  • Wikimedia Commons: People uploaded 5,607 photos of mosques, Ramadan foods, and traditions (our target was 1,500).
  • Wikidata: We are very happy for this part. We targeted 200 new items, but contributors created 536 new Q-items for Islamic heritage and historical figures.

Which approaches were most effective to achieve these results?

  • CentralNotice Banner: From our participant survey, we see most of the new and returning users joined through the Wikipedia top banner. This was the single most effective way to get new participants to our campaign.
  • Local messaging groups: Creating WhatsApp and Telegram groups for local communities was very effective. Local organizers used these groups to give quick technical support (like how to use Fountain tool and/or Upload Wizard) and it keep participants motivated.
  • Physical events with practical training: When local organizers did a photowalk or Iftar party and combined it with hands-on Wikipedia training, it worked very well. Participants felt more connected to share their local culture and they learned editing practically.

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
Project Page
Tracking Dashboards & Tools
Photos
Social Media & Outreach
Surveys & Feedback
Communities report, posts and blogs

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
Documentation

Training materials and guides: We put detailed editing guidelines in our Meta-Wiki main page. It has step-by-step instructions about how to create account, how to translate articles, and how to use Upload Wizard for Wikimedia Commons. Since some new participants faced copyright confusion, we provided simple rules about image licensing. For Wikidata, we gave small guides on how to create new items and add proper labels and statements.

Presentations and slides: Our local organizers made their own presentation slides in their local languages. They used these slides during their offline workshops and virtual training sessions to teach new editors how to edit Wikipedia and upload photos from their mobile phones.

Work processes and plans: We used Google Sheets for our internal team planning, tracking timeline, and budget management. We also created a central "List of Articles" page (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wiki_Loves_Ramadan_2026/List_of_Articles) so contributors can easily find missing topics to translate. This was very helpful because in our survey, some users said they couldn't find good topics to write about.

Other: We designed social media posters and promotional graphics for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We also made short text templates for WhatsApp and Telegram groups. Local organizers used these templates to easily communicate with their community, share campaign updates, and give quick technical support for tools like Fountain and Outreach Dashboard.

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)

Our efforts during the Fund period have helped to...
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups Strongly agree
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community Agree
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups Neither agree nor disagree
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: From Wiki Loves Ramadan 2026, we want to learn:

  • How do culturally themed campaigns (like Ramadan) affect editor retention compared to generic edit-a-thons?
  • What strategies work best to expand participation across multiple Wikimedia projects, not just Wikipedia?
  • How effective are partnerships with cultural and student organisations in sustaining contributions beyond the campaign?
  • What support is needed to reduce access barriers (low bandwidth, limited editing experience)?

In our original application, we had four main learning questions. Here is what we learned from them after finishing the 2026 campaign:

  • How do culturally themed campaigns (like Ramadan) affect editor retention compared to generic edit-a-thons?
    We learned that cultural campaigns create very high passion and retention. Many participants in our survey said they felt they were doing "Ibadat" (religious duty) and were very proud to share their local Islamic culture with the world. Generic edit-a-thons do not have this strong personal connection. Because it is connected to their own identity, new editors stayed active throughout the whole month.
  • What strategies work best to expand participation across multiple Wikimedia projects, not just Wikipedia?
    This was a big learning for us. Wikipedia (8,986 articles) and Wikimedia Commons (5,607 photos) were huge successes. We got 536 new Wikidata items. But for sister projects like Wikiquote (24), Wikivoyage (7), and Wikibooks (0), the numbers were very low. We learned that participants naturally go to Wikipedia and Commons. Next year, if we want them to edit sister projects, we must create specific lists and separate small tracks for Wikivoyage and Wikiquote.
  • How effective are partnerships with cultural and student organisations in sustaining contributions beyond the campaign?
    Partnerships were very effective to bring new people who never edited Wikipedia before. For example, in Uzbekistan, the team partnered with the Center of Islamic Civilization, and in Uganda, they partnered with a local boxing club for an Iftar dinner. Student clubs also brought many young editors. We learned that physical partnerships make the campaign feel like a real festival, not just an online task.
  • What support is needed to reduce access barriers (low bandwidth, limited editing experience)?
    From the organizer and participant feedback, we saw that the Commons Upload Wizard and copyright rules are still very hard for new people. Also, 8 out of 14 local organizer teams had zero budget, so they could not buy internet data for new students or rent physical spaces.

How we will use this learning in the future:

  • What we will continue: We will definitely continue using the CentralNotice banner, as it was our best tool to get participants. We will also keep focusing on cultural pride as a way to motivate editors.
  • What we will adapt or expand: Next year, we will try to provide small microgrants to local organizers. If they have a small budget, they can buy internet data and snacks, which removes a big access barrier. We also plan to make simpler video tutorials for the Upload Wizard and image copyright rules.
  • What we will stop doing: We will stop expecting participants to naturally edit Wikibooks or Wikivoyage without giving them specific tasks or training for those 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)

Yes, we had several unexpected situations during the campaign, both positive and negative, which gave us very good lessons for the future.

Positive Surprises
  • Huge Overachievement in Core Metrics: We expected good participation, but we were completely surprised by the huge volume of contributions. We targeted 4,500 Wikipedia articles, but volunteers created and improved 8,986 articles! On Commons, we got 5,607 photos against a 1,500 target. And, I was so happily surprised that contributors created 536 new Wikidata Q-items (our target was 200).
  • Inspiring Local Initiatives: In Egypt, what was planned as a simple 10-day edit-a-thon surprisingly inspired the local team to launch a brand new, sustainable long-term initiative called the Islamic Cairo Documentation Project. In Uganda, the local group hosted an Iftar dinner that brought 200 community members and local leaders together for street cleaning and photo documentation.
  • Friendly Competitions: In Tatar Wikipedia, we saw an unexpected, exciting contest where a young biologist from Moscow (Dina Abdullina, 60 articles) overtook an experienced "Wiki-grandmother" (Banyw, 35 articles) in the final days! Also in Nigeria, the Kaduna team found that one of their most active contributors translating Islamic heritage into Hausa was actually a Christian volunteer from their local community.
Negative Surprises & Challenges
  • Sister Project Low Interest: We expected participants to spread across different Wikimedia projects and set a target of 100 entries each for Wikibooks, Wikivoyage, and Wikiquote. But Wikibooks got 0 entries, Wikivoyage got only 7, and Wikiquote got 24. We were surprised by how heavily participants preferred Wikipedia and Commons over other platforms.
  • Zero Budget Struggle for Local Teams: We did not expect that many local organizer teams (aprox 20+) would have to run their events on zero budget / self-funding. Local coordinators in places like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, and Indonesia struggled to cover internet data, transport for photowalks, or venue rents, which limited how many physical meetups they could host.
  • Technical & Copyright Confusion: We were surprised by how many first-time participants got confused by the Commons Upload Wizard and image licensing rules. Some new photographers uploaded images that faced copyright flags, which created extra work for local organizers.
What We Learned
  • Focus on where interest naturally goes: Instead of trying to push users to sister projects without specific tools, we should focus heavily on Wikipedia, Commons, and Wikidata where community enthusiasm is naturally very high.
  • Local microgrants are essential: Local organizers are the backbone of this campaign. Even a small microgrant ($200–$500) for local teams can remove huge barriers like internet costs and venue fees, leading to much better photowalks and community retention.
  • Simplify image copyright guides: Before launching the photo contest next year, we need to provide simpler, visual image licensing guides so new photographers don't get discouraged by copyright flags.

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 have already shared our learnings and final results with the global Wikimedia community. Here is how we did it:

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 300 557
Number of editors 250 460
Number of organizers 70 97
Wikimedia project Target Result - Number of created pages Result - Number of improved pages
Wikipedia 4500 8932 54
Wikimedia Commons 1500 5607 0
Wikidata 200 536 0
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator 23 0
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote 100 24 0
Wikivoyage 100 7 0
Wikibooks 100 0 0
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)

10343.02

11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)

2823.48

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/1N5AR1CmqA8liBP5R_qSr2VRkq3O5b4vnlhWR7ITeH3Q


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)

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