Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Expanding Igala Language Access on Wikipedia:Creating and Engaging a Community of Contributors (ID: 22279144)

Partially Funded

Hello @AgnesAbah thank you for applying for the rapid fund grant. We reviewed and approved the grant in the amount of 1,054,000 NGN ($1,324 USD) with the following comments:

• We recommend that the team reviews the budget cost related to prizes and awards, communication and miscellaneous. As this is focused on building an incubator, prizes or awards are not considered the best motivators for community and volunteer engagement and retention.

• While your proposal highlights the importance of introducing Wikipedia in the Igala language and conducting training workshops, it will be important for the team to elaborate on how having Igala content on Wikimedia platforms will benefit the Igala community. For instance, are there anypotential educational benefits, or preservation of cultural heritageetc?  Also do provide more  concrete examples of the type of content that will be created or improved.

• It's great that you have a plan to engage participants through WhatsApp and Telegram groups. However, consider elaborating on your strategies for sustaining engagement beyond the workshops. How will you keep the participants motivated to contribute regularly? Are there any follow-up activities planned to ensure continuous participation and growth of the Igala Wikimedia community?

Best regards, (On behalf of the Middle East and Africa regional funds team) ~~~~ YPam (WMF) (talk) 03:40, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

Good day YPam,

I would like to apologize for my late response. We have taken note of the comments, and I would like to address each point accordingly:

Budgetary Review:

We acknowledge the feedback regarding the budget, specifically related to prizes and awards, communication, and miscellaneous expenses. We will review and refine these aspects, ensuring that they align more closely with the goal of building an incubator. We agree that prizes and awards may not be the primary motivators for community and volunteer engagement in this context.

Elaborating on Benefits:**

We understand the importance of clarifying the benefits of introducing Igala content on Wikimedia platforms for the Igala community. Therefore, we will ensure that all the articles that are going to be created and improved strictly relate to notable people in the Igala community, as well as articles relating to Igala culture. This approach will help preserve Igala-related articles on Wikimedia platforms.

Sustaining Engagement Strategies:

We appreciate the emphasis on sustaining engagement beyond the workshops. In response, we already have an existing WhatsApp and Telegram group, and we will ensure continuous follow-up on participants to bring about growth to the Igala Wikimedia community.

We are grateful for your feedback and the opportunity. If there are any additional details or specific areas you would like us to focus on, please do not hesitate to let us know. We also appreciate the support provided by the Wikimedia Foundation.

Thank you once again.

Best regards,

Agnes Abah AgnesAbah (talk) 21:57, 13 November 2023 (UTC)