Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Wikimedia Morocco - Annual Grant 2023/Final Report
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 2024-01-31T00:00:00Z
Funding program: Wikimedia Community Fund
Report type: Final
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General information[edit]
This form is for organizations, groups, or individuals receiving Wikimedia Community Funds or Wikimedia Alliances Funds to report on their final results.
- Name of Organization: Wikimedia MA User Group
- Title of Proposal: Wikimedia Morocco - Annual Grant 2023
- Amount awarded: 67500 USD, 664173 MAD
- Amount spent: 688986.36 MAD
Part 1 Understanding your work[edit]
1. Briefly describe how your proposed activities and strategies were implemented.
Implementation of Proposed Activities and Strategies: In 2023, our activities and strategies centered around diversifying and enriching Wikimedia content, enhancing technical capabilities, and building community engagement. Key strategies included:
- Strategic Partnerships: Formed partnerships with 1337, British Council, and Regional Delegation of Education - Moulay Yacoub. These partnerships were crucial in supporting our projects.
Editing Contests and Edits-a-thons: Held contests and edits-a-thons that attracted a large number of participants, surpassing our targets and significantly contributing to content creation.
- Technical Development: Focused on developing bots for automating tasks and improving efficiency on Wikimedia projects.
- Educational Programs: Executed the 'Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom' program, providing both in-person and online training to teachers, exceeding our participant targets.
Some strategies were more effective than others. For instance, the transition to the Wiki Learn platform for online training proved highly successful in engaging participants. However, challenges like the suspension of the trainer training program affected our ability to meet certain goals.
2. Were there any strategies or approaches that you felt were effective in achieving your goals?
Our key strategies that proved effective in achieving our goals included:
- Focused Edits-a-thons: Hosting targeted edits-a-thons was instrumental in addressing specific content gaps on Wikipedia. These events drew attention to underrepresented topics and languages, thereby enriching the diversity of content available.
- Partnership Synergy: The strategic partnerships we formed with organizations like 1337, the British Council, and Regional Delegation of Education in Moulay Yacoub were pivotal. They provided not only crucial support for initiatives like the Wiki Indaba 2023 but also helped in expanding our reach and resources.
- Online Training Platform: The transition to the Wiki Learn platform for our educational program 'Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom' significantly enhanced participant engagement and learning outcomes. This digital shift made our training more accessible and interactive.
- Bot Development: Our focus on developing bots for Wikipedia in Darija and Tachelhit languages led to improved efficiency and content quality on Wikimedia projects. These bots automated repetitive tasks, allowing contributors to focus on more significant contributions.
- Editing Contests: The organization of editing contests in different languages (Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Tachelhit) was a highly effective strategy. These contests engaged a large number of editors, significantly surpassing our targets and contributing to the creation of a vast array of content on Moroccan-related topics.
- Micro-Grant for Documentation Project: Implementing a micro-funding program under the documentation project facilitated extensive photographic documentation of Moroccan localities, significantly enriching Wikimedia Commons. This approach proved effective in covering under-represented areas and engaging local communities.
These strategies not only helped in achieving our set targets but also fostered community involvement, enhanced technical capabilities, and contributed to the overall growth of the Wikimedia Morocco User Group.
3. Would you say that your project had any innovations? Are there things that you did very differently than you have seen them done by others?
Our projects introduced several innovations:
- Digital Transition: The move to the Wiki Learn platform for our educational initiatives was a novel approach that greatly facilitated participant interaction and learning outcomes.
- Bot Automation: Developing bots specifically for Darija and Tachelhit languages was a unique technical advancement, enhancing content accessibility and diversity.
- Community Engagement: Our approach to engaging participants through diverse contests and edits-a-thons was tailored to attract wider community involvement.
4. Please describe how different communities participated and/or were informed about your work.
Different communities participated in our projects through:
- Editing Contests and Edits-a-thons: These events attracted a diverse group of editors, including underrepresented languages like Darija and Tachelhit.
- Educational Initiatives: Teachers and educators actively participated in our 'Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom' program, both in-person and online.
- Technical Projects: Community members with technical skills contributed to bot development and automation tasks.
We informed communities about our work through social media channels, partner networks, and direct outreach programs.
5. Documentation of your impact. Please use the two spaces below to share files and links that help tell your story and impact. This can be documentation that shows your results through testimonies, videos, sound files, images (photos and infographics, etc.) social media posts, dashboards, etc.
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
- For more detailed insights into our activities, strategies, and the impact we have achieved, please visit our annual report on the Meta page. This report comprehensively documents our efforts, successes, and learning throughout the year, offering a deeper understanding of our work and its contribution to the Wikimedia and free knowledge movement. Access the full report here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_MA_User_Group/2023
6. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | 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 |
7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?
N/A
Part 2: Your main learning[edit]
8. In your application, you outlined your learning priorities. What did you learn about these areas during this period?
During this period, we learned significantly about our outlined learning priorities:
- Engagement Strategies: We discovered that thematic edits-a-thons and targeted contests effectively engage participants, particularly in underrepresented language communities.
- Educational Program Delivery: The transition to the Wiki Learn platform for our educational programs was a key learning point. It proved more engaging and efficient than traditional methods.
- Technical Development: In developing bots for Darija and Tachelhit, we learned the importance of addressing language-specific needs in technical tools for Wikimedia projects.
- Partnership Management: We learned the value of strategic partnerships in enhancing program reach and impact, particularly in the areas of educational outreach and technical development.
9. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities?
Some surprising developments included:
- Higher than Expected Participation: Our editing contests and edits-a-thons attracted more participants than anticipated, indicating a strong community interest in these activities.
- Technical Challenges: We faced unexpected technical issues with the Wiki Learn platform, which required quick adaptation and collaboration with the Wikimedia technical team for resolution.
- Partnership Dynamics: The impact of our strategic partnerships exceeded our expectations, especially in terms of resource mobilization and outreach.
10. How do you hope to use this learning? For instance, do you have any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future?
Moving forward, we plan to:
- Expand Online Training: Given the success of the Wiki Learn platform, we aim to further develop our online training program.
- Focus on Language-Specific Technical Tools: Encouraged by the success of our bots, we plan to continue developing technical tools specific to underrepresented languages.
- Strengthen Partnerships: We will focus on nurturing our existing partnerships and exploring new ones to enhance our program's reach and diversity.
- Adapt to Community Needs: We'll refine our community engagement strategies based on the learning from our editing contests and edits-a-thons.
11. If you were sitting with a friend to tell them one thing about your work during this fund, what would it be (think of inspiring or fascinating moments, tough challenges, interesting anecdotes, or anything that feels important to you)?
If we were to share one thing about our work, it would be the incredible energy and commitment of our community members. Their enthusiasm in participating in edits-a-thons and contests, and the diversity of content they've helped create, truly showcases the vibrant and dynamic nature of the Wikimedia community in Morocco.
12. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
- For access to our detailed guides, training materials, and other resources that highlight our projects and initiatives, visit our full report on the Meta page here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_MA_User_Group/2023
Part 3: Metrics[edit]
13a. Open and additional metrics data
- Slightly below target due to challenges in the online engagement.
- Consistent production maintained throughout the year.
- Some delays in development, but overall target met.
- Exceeded target, reflecting strong technical project success.
| Open Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trained teachers | Both in-person and online.
Target: 300 (220 online / 80 in person) |
300 | Achieved target, with 413 trained (330 online, 83 in person) | Exceeded target, indicating high interest and successful outreach. | Counted through registration and attendance records. |
| Certified teachers | Target: 150 (100 online / 50 in-person) | 150 | 118 | ||
| Tracked through completion and certification records. | |||||
| Published podcasts | Average 1 per month | 12 | 12 | ||
| Monitored through publication records, Youtube and social media tracking. | |||||
| Bot tasks | Developed on Wikipedia in Darija and Tachelhit
Target: 35 (16 to improve and 19 to be added) |
35 | 45 | ||
| Tracked through technical project logs and reports maintained by the technical team. | |||||
| Bots | Developed on Wikipedia in Darija and Tachelhit | 2 | 4 | ||
| Counted through bot registration and activation records. |
| Additional Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of editors that continue to participate/retained after activities | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of organizers that continue to participate/retained after activities | N/A | N/A | 19 | High retention rate of organizers. | Monitored through continued participation and leadership roles. |
| Number of strategic partnerships that contribute to longer term growth, diversity and sustainability | Concluded cooperation agreements or memoranda of understanding | 2 | 3 | 3 strategic partnerships formed.
Exceeded target, with significant contribution to program growth. |
Tracked through ongoing collaboration. |
| Feedback from participants on effective strategies for attracting and retaining contributors | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Diversity of participants brought in by grantees | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of people reached through social media publications | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of activities developed | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of volunteer hours | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
13b. Additional core metrics data.
- 828(Sum of participants in various activities like in-person trainings, edits-a-thons, contests, and conferences)
| Core metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 80 professors in-person - 220 online professors - 20 conference participant - 50 Edits-a-thon participants - 100 contests’ participants | 470 | 808 | ||
| Counted through event registrations and online participation | |||||
| Number of editors | Contributors in Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons | 175 | 244 | Surpassed target, with 244 total contributors. | Monitored through contributions to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. |
| Number of organizers | Wikimedia MA user group members organizing events and leading projects during 2023 | 10 | 19 | Exceeded target, with 19 active organizers. | Tracked through leadership roles and event organization. |
- Newly Created Articles: 384 (From editing contests, not including edits-a-thons)
- Edited Articles: 85 (Only includes edits from editing contests)
| Wikimedia Project | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 1000 automated articles in Wikipedia Darija
150 created articles in Wikipedia 300 edited articles in Wikipedia |
1450 | 3644 | ||
| We used a Python script for accurate data collection. This script helped in counting new and edited articles. This approach ensured precise and reliable tracking of our Wikipedia content contributions. | |||||
| Wikimedia Commons | 700 pictures in Wikimedia Commons | 700 | 1628 | The target was significantly exceeded. This success is attributed to the enthusiastic participation in photographic contests and dedicated documentation projects, which led to a substantial increase in the visual representation of Moroccan localities and cultural elements on Wikimedia Commons. | N/A |
| Wikidata | 1000 items in Wikidata | 1000 | 7823 | The target was greatly surpassed. | N/A |
| Incubator | 500 entries in Wikimedia Incubator (for Wiktionary) | 500 | 148 | The target was not met. This outcome was due to prioritizing other projects. | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
14. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?
Yes
15. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future.
N/A
16. Use this space to link or upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your data collection (e.g., dashboards, surveys you have carried out, communications material, training material, etc).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
- For further insights into our data collection methods, including dashboards, surveys, and various materials used in our projects, please refer to our full report on the Meta page here : https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_MA_User_Group/2023
Part 4: Organizational capacities & partnerships[edit]
17. Organizational Capacity
| A. Financial capacity and management | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| B. Conflict management or transformation | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| C. Leadership (i.e growing in potential leaders, leadership that fit organizational needs and values) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| D. Partnership building | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| E. Strategic planning | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| F. Program design, implementation, and management | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| G. Scoping and testing new approaches, innovation | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| H. Recruiting new contributors (volunteer) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| I. Support and growth path for different types of contributors (volunteers) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| J. Governance | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| K. Communications, marketing, and social media | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| L. Staffing - hiring, monitoring, supporting in the areas needed for program implementation and sustainability | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| M. On-wiki technical skills | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| N. Accessing and using data | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| O. Evaluating and learning from our work | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| P. Communicating and sharing what we learn with our peers and other stakeholders | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
17a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Peer to peer learning with other community members in conferences/events, Using capacity building/training resources online from sources WITHIN the Wikimedia Movement
17b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Lack of staff time to participate in capacity building/training, Lack of volunteer time to participate in capacity building/training, Barriers to access training because of language
18. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your organizational capacity has grown, and areas where you require support?
We have seen growth in several areas of our organizational capacity, particularly in program design and partnership building. However, we still face challenges in conflict management, governance, and staffing. To further develop these areas, we require support in the form of targeted training and resources, particularly in languages accessible to our team.
19. Partnerships over the funding period.
| A. We built strategic partnerships with other institutions or groups that will help us grow in the medium term (3 year time frame) | Agree |
| B. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to bring in more contributors from underrepresented groups | Agree |
| C. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to build out more content on underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
19a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Staff hired through the fund, Volunteers from our communities
19b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Local policies or other legal factors
20. Please share your learning about strategies to build partnerships with other institutions and groups and any other learning about working with partners?
Key learnings in building partnerships include:
Alignment of Goals: Ensuring our objectives and those of our partners align was crucial. Effective Communication: Regular and clear communication helped in building strong partnerships. Community Involvement: Engaging our community in partnership activities fostered deeper collaboration.
Part 5: Sense of belonging and collaboration[edit]
21. What would it mean for your organization to feel a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement?
For our organization, a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement means being actively involved in the creation, dissemination, and preservation of free knowledge. It involves participating in a global community where our contributions are valued and our cultural and linguistic diversity is celebrated. It's about feeling connected and integral to the movement's goals and vision.
22. How has your (for individual grantees) or your group/organization’s (for organizational grantees) sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
Somewhat increased
23. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
The increase is primarily due to our successful projects and initiatives, which have been recognized and appreciated within the wider Wikimedia community. Our active participation in global events and collaborations has also contributed to a stronger sense of connection and engagement with the movement.
24. How has your group/organization’s sense of personal investment in the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
Increased significantly
25. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
This significant increase stems from the impact of our initiatives on local communities and the Wikimedia movement at large. The success of our projects, particularly in areas of technical development and educational programs, has deepened our commitment to advancing the mission of the Wikimedia movement.
26. Are there other movements besides the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement that play a central role in your motivation to contribute to Wikimedia projects? (for example, Black Lives Matter, Feminist movement, Climate Justice, or other activism spaces) If so, please describe it below.
Other movements that play a central role in our motivation include:
Digital Literacy and Inclusion: Our work is inspired by the broader goals of increasing digital literacy and ensuring digital inclusion, especially in underrepresented communities. Educational Equity: We are driven by the belief in equal access to education and the importance of integrating open-source educational resources in learning environments.
Supporting Peer Learning and Collaboration[edit]
We are interested in better supporting peer learning and collaboration in the movement.
27. Have you shared these results with Wikimedia affiliates or community members?
Yes
27a. Please describe how you have already shared them. Would you like to do more sharing, and if so how?
We have shared the outcomes and learnings of our projects through regional Wikimedia meetups, online forums, and collaborative events. We aim to increase this sharing through more structured knowledge exchange programs and workshops.
28. How often do you currently share what you have learned with other Wikimedia Foundation grantees, and learn from them?
We do this rarely (less than twice a year)
29. How does your organization currently share mutual learning with other grantees?
We currently share mutual learning through: Regional meetups and conferences. Online forums and discussion groups. Collaborative online workshops. We would like to see more structured platforms for this exchange facilitated by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance[edit]
30. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.
688986.36
31. Local currency type
MAD
32. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
33. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.
All budget changes were documented in our attached report and approved by the Program Officer for the MEA region. Notable adjustments included a donation for Al-Haouz earthquake relief efforts and additional expenses incurred during the WikiIndaba Conference 2023. These changes were necessary to adapt to unforeseen circumstances and to maximize the impact of our activities.
34. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
34a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
17452.56 MAD
34b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
B. Propose to use them to partially or fully fund a new/future grant request with PO approval
34c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
The remaining amount, totaling 17452.56 MAD, is earmarked for future use. Our plan is to allocate these funds to the ongoing documentation project. This project aims to expand its reach to more communes, especially those in less accessible areas, enhancing our efforts in preserving and documenting endangered languages through audio recordings. This strategic use of funds will significantly contribute to the diversity and richness of our documentation initiative.
35. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.
36. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
37. 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
38. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.
We recommend that future funding consider the scalability of successful projects, allowing for the expansion of initiatives that have proven effective. A focus on developing localized resources and tools can significantly enhance the impact of the funded projects. Greater support in terms of technical resources and expertise from the Wikimedia Foundation would be beneficial, especially for technically ambitious projects.