Grants:PEG/Bedu Mumtaz/Jordan startup

Not funded

This grant submission from an individual in 2013-14 was not funded by the Wikimedia Foundation.

Prior to 2011, reasons for not funding this submission were communicated in private and may not be available on the discussion page. For more information about a particular request, please contact the grantee directly or send your questions to grants at wikimedia dot org.
Beginning in 2011, reasons for not funding this submission are communicated publicly on the discussion page of this submission.
Since this grant request was not funded, no report is required and no further action is required from the grantee.

Basic information

Project details

Official project name: Jordan startup
Project start date (include month, day, and year): 1 March 2014
Project completion date (include month, day, and year): 29 November 2014
Please describe the project in 1–2 sentences: We will conduct informal editing sessions with Jordanian women to improve the Arabic wikipedia, and translate articles between the English and Arabic wikipedias.

Financial details

Currency requested: USD
Amount requested in currency requested: ~~$10,050 USD~~ under discussion
Equivalent amount in US$ on the date of this submission: ~~$10,050 USD~~ under discussion
List the exchange rate used to calculate the amount listed in US$: Items will be purchased in Jordanian dinars, $1 USD = 0.71 Jordanian Dinar

Project lead details

See the eligibility requirements for more information.

Are you an organization, an individual, or an individual submitting on behalf of a group?: INdividual
Project lead name: Bedu Mumtaz
Project lead username or email: bedumumtaz@gmail.com
Project lead title (position), if any

Goals and measures of success

Project goal

Please briefly describe what will be accomplished if the project is successful.

Project goal: Identify Jordanian professional women who might be interested in editing Wikipedia, and ultimately providing training for other women, and provide them with the resources and knowledge to get started in an informal and safe environment.

Measures of success

Please provide a list of measurable criteria that will be used determine how successful the project is. You will need to report on the success of the project according to these measures after the project is completed.

Measures of success: Between 5-15 new users minimum registered to either Arabic or English Wikipedia, and make an edit ~~ten edits each~~ under their user name. They will be invited to join a project, such as "WikiProject: Daughters of Jordan", or perhaps a more global "heritage" theme. Perhaps a special welcome message or invitation template could be placed on their new user talk page, for tracking purposes, to evaluate the impact of this type of program, and to assist in planning for future outreach programs.

Project scope and activities

This section describes what will happen if this project is funded. Who will do what, and when?

List of activities: Identify women who would like to learn to edit; Identify institutions--schools or jamaiyas (day care/women's centers funded by the social ministry)--where the learning can take place, and where there are pools of qualified women (teachers or other professionals); Provide a relaxed learning environment with refreshments and opportunities for socializing for small groups of 4-8 women; Identify women who can act as trainers for more groups

Budget and resources

Please provide a detailed breakdown of project expenses according to the instructions here.

Grantees are subject to line-item scrutiny of expenses. Changes to the approved budget beyond 10% in any category must be approved in advance.

Project budget table

Number	Category	Item description	Unit	Cost per unit	Total cost	Currency
1	Computer supplies	Laptops	9 computers	$500.00	$4,500.00
2	Computer supplies	Router	3 routers	$200.00	$600.00
3	computer supplies	data connection	1 year	$25.00/month=300 each for 3 setups	$900
4	Refreshments	Snacks for 3 meetings	3 meetings with 10 people each	$3.00 per person	$90.00
5	Transportation in-country	20 bus trips @ $0.50=$10	driver for 5 days @$30/day=$150		$160.00
6	Transportation to country	Round trip plane fare between U.S. and Jordan	1 trip low season, return trip high season	$1500.00	$1500.00
7	Accommodation and meals	~~With friends or ad hoc arrangement~~	12 weeks=90 days	~~$30 per diem~~ accommodation $60-70 per night, perhaps more	~~$1800.00~~	(not resolved on talk page)
8	Translation, unexpected supplies and services			$500.00	$500.00	estimating 5 JD per hour, based on 3 JD per hour I paid for BA-level translation in 1999-2000, 3 meetings or training sessions

9	Storage Cabinets	Secure cabinets for 3 locations		$350.00 per cabinet	$1050.00

Total cost of project: ~~$10,000 USD~~ (not resolved on talk page)

Total amount requested from the WMF Grants Program: ~~$10,000 USD~~ (not resolved on talk page)

Additional sources of revenue that may fund part of this project, and amounts funded: NA

Non-financial requirements

See a description of nonfinancial assistance available. Please inform Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) of any requirements for non-financial assistance now.

Requests for non-financial assistance: NA

Resources

This section is optional. It may be used to highlight the potential grantee's potential for successfully executing this project.

Consider including the following information:

List of team members (names or usernames):
Onwiki evidence of community support (such as a project about this discussion):
Endorsements from community members or movement groups:
Special skills or qualifications this potential grantee or project lead brings to this project:
Evidence of past success in executing similar projects:

Resources: I have taught computer and ESL, and have lived in the Middle East, and am familiar with the challenges involved with Arab women's participation in public life.

Impact

In the sections below, please describe how the project is related to the Wikimedia mission and Wikimedia's strategic priorities.

Fit to strategy

How this project will support key organizational objectives

Increased reach to the Global South; right now, after the Arab Spring, and with continuing instability in the region, Jordan is the most accessible of the Arab countries. Participation of women who in the Arab world do not mix with men who are not family members, which means they will not be reached by the general methods. They must be sought out separately, and provided with a venue that will not bring objections from their families. Increased coverage of Arab language topics on the English wikipedia, increased quantity and quality of topics on the Arab wikipedia, increased coverage of Jordan. It is inevitable that some of these women will involve their male family members, as women are sometimes escorted to events by a brother or other male family member. The brothers may very well learn to edit under the watchful eye of an older and wiser sister. This I believe will help to move Jordan forward as it participates in the international community, and will in turn help define the Arab community for an international audience (and for itself). Jordan is not a wealthy nation; many individuals do not have resources for computing, as in the more oil-rich Arab-speaking countries. In addition, Jordanian women may not feel comfortable in the milieu of the local internet cafes, or their families may not permit them to go there. This would provide them with the safety they would need in order to participate.

Benefits

If the project will benefit a specific online community, please tell us.: Wikiproject Jordan is currently listed as inactive.

Please provide a brief statement about how the project is related to other work in the Wikimedia movement. For example, does the project fit into a work area such as GLAM, education, organizational development, editor retention, or outreach?: This would probably fit best under an educational category, as teachers and students of English would be the most likely people to recruit, and would be the people that I would know how to contact.

If successful, will the project have the potential to be replicated successfully by other individuals, groups, or organizations? Please explain how in 1–2 sentences.: It is impossible to know this; in the Arab world everything is trial and error, with many setbacks, and also many unexpected and sometimes pleasant surprises. If a core group of educators can be interested in the project, they may be able to act as trainers for larger groups, say an edit-a-thon. But that would be very far down the road.

Please list other benefits to the movement here.: This may help to develop translation skills, critical thinking skills, negotiation skills, editing skills, communication skills, all of which are sorely needed in this region.