Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/WikiIndaba Republic of Congo 2025

statusUnder review

Conference and Event Fund

WikiIndaba Republic of Congo 2025

proposed start date2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

proposed end date2025-11-30T00:00:00Z

budget (local currency)184154594.07 XAF

amount requested (USD)309379.72 USD

decision fiscal year2024-25

applicant• Africany

organization (if applicable)• Wikimedia Republique Du Congo

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant details

A. Are you applying as a(n)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Wikimedia Republique Du Congo

F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

Africany

F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.

Ceslause Bobbyshabangu

G. Are you legally registered?

Yes

If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.

I. Fiscal organization name.

Wikimedia ZA

Objectives and Strategy

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

WikiIndaba Republic of Congo 2025

2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.

2025-11-07

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2025-11-09

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?

2025-11-30T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

Republic of the Congo

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

Brazzaville

5. Is it a remote or in-person event?

Hybrid event

5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)

150

6. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope.

Regional

6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.

This conference is for affiliates and Wikimedians in the African continent and diaspora.

7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.

https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095453025598 https://www.wikimedia.cg/

8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.

Yes

8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.

We will use the Afrika Baraza platform, a virtual platform for African Wikimedians to connect, collaborate and have meaningful conversations. Some of the volunteers in this conference organizing team are members of WISCom, and they will be handling communications, scholarships and the programme.

9. Please describe the target participants for this event.

Our target participants are African Wikimedians and Africans in the diaspora. We aim to have 60% experienced editors and 40% new editors split for the attendees of the conference. Our definition of a newbie is an editor who has created an account within 12 months before the conference and has at least 50 edits in any wikimedia project. We also aim to invite mission aligned local organisation partners and stakeholders. It will be beneficial to have more Africans not only attending but also contributing to moderating the sessions, leading in such spaces where the African agenda is being discussed and planned.

10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiIndaba_conference_2025 (Under construction)

The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.

11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?

350

11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?

January 18th - January 31st 2025

12. How many people responded to the survey?

102

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

WikiIndaba 2025 aims to bring together African Wikimedians to collaborate, discuss challenges, and showcase successful projects in the region. The conference, held in Brazzaville (Central Africa), will focus on advancing the African agenda for Wikimedia and promoting growth and sustainability. It will feature networking, training, and mentorship opportunities for around 150 in-person attendees, and a host of online-participants, with the goal of inspiring future contributors and leaders.

14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?

According to the survey, the most important topics that communities wants to discuss are: Leadership and Capacity Building (Article and Editor Retention, Lack of African Admins and Stewards, Lack of a learning culture, Lack of understanding of the policies) - 79.4% Community Trends and Innovations - 72.5% Equity in Representation (WMF Board of Trustees -voters education, Participation in Global Events/ Dialogues, Leadership and Community Building, Regional Hubs) - 65.7% Areas they think need to be focused on during the WikiIndaba Conference are: Networking and Mentorship Programs - 90.2% Roundtable Discussions on Global Collaboration - 70.6% Innovation Labs for Technology integration - 55.9% The most important goal, problem, or obstacle they think the African community should focus on in the next 12 months are: Enhancing collaborations - 76.5% Supporting new initiatives - 70.6% Expanding Wikimedia awareness - 62.7%

15. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.

Content Gender gap, Geography, Language

15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).

t is common knowledge in the movement that coverage of Africa as a region in Wikimedia projects is very low compared to Europe and North America (e.g less than 5% of All content in English Wikipedia is about African topics). All affiliates and community members working in their countries and in their local languages are directly involved in bridging the content-gap about Africa and by extension addressing Knowledge Equity.

16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.

Education, Advocacy

17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?

Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Geographic , Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background

18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?

African Union: Collaborating with the African Union for WikiIndaba 2025 represents a unique opportunity to promote the work of the African Wikimedia community and how it fits into the Agenda2063 of the African Union. The AU, as an organization dedicated to the growth of the digital space on the continent, can provide valuable partnerships in the development of digital content and knowledge sharing in the African context.

19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?

We will use the Afrika Baraza platform to ensure participants continue to engage with activities after the event. This will be done by way of group discussion, interviews and following up on some cases to see how the conference influenced their work.

20. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Provide for Safety and Inclusion, Ensure Equity in Decision-making

Logistical Aspects

21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?

The proposed venues include the Pefaco Hôtel. The hotel is directly opposite the Maya-Maya International Airport in Brazzaville. The hotel also provides its own shuttle services to the Maya-Maya International Airport. It has all facilities necessary to host the conference including reliable wifi, main hall and breakout rooms. Other great venues are Radisson Blu, Grand Hotel de Kintele and Hilton.

22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

We aim to offer a total of 145 scholarships as follows:

• 80 international full scholarships
• 10 Micro grants
• 20 Virtual scholarships
• 35 Local scholarships
• 10 Organizing team

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

Full Scholarship: Covers flights (round trip), visas, accommodation, meals, conference access, and social events. Partial Scholarship: Covers everything except flights. Virtual/Micro Grant: Covers local ground travel, snacks, childcare, and venue hire. Local Scholarship (Congo-Brazzaville Users only): Covers ground travel, flights, accommodation, meals, conference access, and social events. Organizing Committee: Receives full scholarship benefits.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

Scholarship recipients will be selected according to the Wiki Indaba Guidelines and based on: Affiliate representation Gender parity (As much as possible), 60% Experienced vs 40% Newbie split, Proposal for speaking at the conference

26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?

We would appreciate the following support from WMF Staff: Legal and Safety support, Outreach and Communications support, Community resource & Grant making support, Partnership support, Affiliate recognition support, Community Strategy support, Media training

26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.

We would like to have 15 Wikimedia Foundation staff.

27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.

The organising team shall be responsible for: Drafting event proposal and grant request Co-Selection and awarding of scholarships with WISCom Soliciting suppliers for reasonable Venue and Conferencing facilities Working with a travel agent to book and coordinate flights Organising Accommodation and Airport transfers Co-designing conference program with WISCom Managing finances and payments General marshalling of conference participants Assess and provide support for safety and security during stay in Brazzaville. Solicit an event organiser for conference planning. Marketing and communication - increasing the visibility of the event in the media. Resource mobilisation - sourcing partnership and sponsorship for the event.

28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?

Yes

28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.

Since WikiIndaba is coming to the Central African region for the first time, we plan to work with the Wikimedia communities in the region, from Gabon, Cameroon, Tchad and DR Congo. We are also looking to have WISCom take responsibilities of some of the roles including the programme, Communications assisted by WMF, Finance/Logistics and Scholarships. We will then have subcommittees to assist the Core Organising Team. Local logistics will be handled by Wikimedia Republic of Congo while the WMF handles flights and hotel bookings.

29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?

We don’t anticipate any risks, as there are no elections coming up in Congo-Brazzaville in 2025. We are also monitoring indications for any civil unrest. We equally have access to emergency numbers, including police and relevant authorities.

30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Friendly_space_policies AND https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?

We see WikiIndaba 2025 as a conference that truly brings Africans together regardless of the language barriers. We would like for this conference to be truly inclusive for English speakers as well as Arabic speakers, despite happening in a francophone country. For a change, we plan to introduce an interpretation kit to the in-person attendees to enhance their conference experience. We also hope to learn more about the challenges facing these diverse communities, including learning about strategies they use in building capacity in their communities, activating and retaining new users as well as strategies they use to support their existing communities and if they are able to raise funds outside of WMF how are they doing so. Finally, we would like to learn about how they are able to resolve conflict management.

32. Main open metrics

Main Open Metrics Data

Main Open Metrics	Description	Target
Newbie Editor Activation	A percentage of Newbie editors who are motivated and activities to run initiatives in their communities/countries Target (1) 50% of newbies who attended the conference run their own initiatives 6 months after the conference	N/A
Movement growth and regional cooperation	Metrics Description (2) A percentage of invites from Countries without Affiliates, start plans to organise their communities Target (2) At least 2 more countries start affiliate set-up 6 months after the conference, and at least 2 affiliates collaborate in a project across geographic region	N/A
Regional leadership activation	Metrics Description (3) Clarification of regional leadership and cooperation Target (3) 2 More community members volunteer to support WISCom	N/A
Raise Wikimedians awareness	Number of Wikimedians who have had their article tagged for speedy deletion, IP blocked in English, Arabic and French Wikipedia. What do they understand about policies in these languages Target (4) 3 admin/stewards attend the WikiIndaba conference	N/A
Gender equity	Ensure that different genders are represented in the conference, in an equal manner Target (5) Minimum of 40% non-male attendees.	N/A

Financial Proposal

33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.

184154594.07

34. Select your local currency.

XAF

Requested amount in USD

309379.72 USD

35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JrgzJd-jxKzN-qmMbqKwErQQ79cmt8FHeeu2x5PuZfc/edit?usp=sharing

36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?

No

36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?

We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.

Other public document(s):

Endorsements and Feedback

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).

Endorse