Grants:Project/Rapid/Building Swahili Wikipedia and Wikimedia community in Tanzania – East Africa
Please see the sample Editathon/Training application before drafting your application.
Project Goal
editChoose one or more of the following goals. You can add or delete goals as needed.
- Recruit new editors
- Increase skills for existing editors
- Add or improve content
- raise awareness of Wikipedia / Wikimedia projects in Tanzanian educational institutions
Project Plan
editActivities
editTell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:
1. Are you doing one editathon or training or a series of editathons or trainings?
a) meeting with the user group started upon initiative of Jack Rabah at Dar, helping them to get a place to meet (contact to Goethe Institute established with help of Isla Haddow-Flow), then coaching that user group.
b) Going on with introductory & follow-up workshops at institutions
2. How will you let your community know about the event? Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions.
Within sw community the plan has been discussed extensively.
3. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to lead the event?
Partly. In Dar I count on Steven Bukulu and will involve Muddy as much as possible with his work schedule. I have been in frequent contact for last weeks with Antoni Mtavangu who has carried on the user group started by Jack but hampered by unreliable availability of computer access at Buni Hubs.
If Kenya is attached I will check with ChriKo. In Morogoro I count on Riccardo.
For the original planning I made contact to some colleges in Mbeya and Kilimanjaro area, plus at Morogoro.
4. Do participants have the equipment or skills needed to participate and contribute high quality content? If not, how will you support them?
As for Dar I count on my Goethe contact. As for institutions, equipment is criterion for choice.
5. How will you engage participants after the event(s)?
By revisiting until July, afterwards by internet. I am ready to travel again if budget can be available.
6. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?
I had intended to apply for support for a journey to Tanzania in order to do a series of workshops. Before sending my intended application in February I was asked to come to Dar in order to take over a part time vacancy there until July. Getting this project finalized took time due to difficult coordination between involved parties. After final agreement I planned to travel in beginning of Macrh but was held up by health checks which in between put my travel plans in question. Now this has been settled and I can travel first week of April.
I will be in Dar until mid July, 2017. My duty leaves me time to get out of Dar 2 times every month and to pursue wikipedia matters. Due to the period of uncertainty as explained I will not be able to do workshops on the dates I had prepared with 3 colleges and 2 schools. I will have to arrange that after arriving in Dar .
I apply for the 1300,-- as a budget for
- Travel to Mbeya (Teofilo Kisanji University)
- Travel to Moshi (Mwika College, Tumaini University)
- Travel to Morogoro (Saint Francis University College ),
I calculate cost for return flight in Tanzania to Mbeya or Moshi at ca 100 USD (middle of variations between 70,000 Shs to 190,000 Shs per o/w trip) plus local travel expense. I estimate only minimal to zero cost for accommodation, I assume I could stay with old contacts on all three mentioned places, so on average 150 USD per trip, thus 6 x 150 = up to 900.USD.
- I would like to budget 100 USD for giveaways and reprint the T-Shirts we had 2 years ago. In some places there may be some cost for additional connection (the Morogoro Catholic University asked for that), so 200 in Total, in sum up to 300 USD.
For coaching of the Dar user group I assume no cost, as the first feedback I received from Goethe Dar sounded friendly. Some t-shirts can be used here.
- I propose to include into this budget an amount of 95 USD for a year internet connection for user:Muddyb.
Not needed amounts I will refund (as after 2015 workshop)
After a first travel for agreed workshops I would decide if it is worth while to continue with another workshop.
| Item | frequency | item cost | sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel inside Tanzania | 6 | 150 | 900 |
| Reprint T-shIrts | 100 | ||
| Eventualities | 200 | ||
| Internet connection | 1 | 95 | |
| 1295 | |||
As I have to go to Kenya anyway once, I can use the opportunity to make contacts there with wikiusers. Isla wanted to come back to me about that but I have not heard more.
Impact
editHow will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets:
- estimated weekly meetups in Dar, plus 6 workshops upcountry
- participant numbers in Dar not yet known (ask Jack..), workshops up to 15 participants
- As things are now I will have less visits upcountry. This is because of my late arrival my contact in Moshi is out of the country which leaves me with Morogoro ( end of May/June, but little travel cost) and Mbeya. So therewill be lesscost than I claimed oringinally. In General the aim is to have more participants from Tanzania. I am starting this week with the group at Dar es Salaam (after the Easter break). I see no use of claiming numbers. I understand that in your pattern of thinking you love figures but this is Africa and giving numbers is a nice game but not realistic (I know scores of organizatons speding a lot more of money than wikimedia has to spend who engaged in such figures play over here...) . I do not want to sell "snake oil" (is it not what you call in Ameerican speech?). If you can read wikistatistics you will know that we at swwiki are one of the two successful African language wikipedias. Our weakness is a relatively small number of African contributors. This I am going to change more than before, I am forwarding to you my latest report from the place of our last workshop, Morogoro. It shows a nice number of contributors and only few from 2015. That is no wonder as this is a place of secondary students but you can see that the contributions have continued. They are MCDONALN ALOYCE FUTE, Stanley chiza, Dennis Johnson Mlokozi, Abraham lincorn, Jeyrin jm, TELESPHORY, Denis h msimbe, WENSLAUS LUGENGE, Latifa eliudi, DAVIS MGAYA, Jovini, CRICTIANO RONALDO, Faida hassan, Johnprince Anatory. Check them.
As for the group started by Jack they have met since last year but have not produced anything (as far as i can see, you can see it too). I am going to change this this from now. I do not want to give you phantasy fiǵures but itis going to change upwards.
My stay here is a chance for wikimedia to enhance content and its footprint in East Africa. So handle it as you like. Cheers!
Resources
editWhat resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).
What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense and include a total amount.
Endorsements
editCommunity members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!
- Because we Tanzanians need to buil up our own language through Wikipedia and Kipala is very capable in coinvolging people. Please, help us! Riccardo Riccioni (talk) 11:09, 28 March 2017 (UTC)
- I wholeheartedly support this grant application. Kipala is a steadfast and dedicated member of sw:wp with 10+ years experience under his belt. His contacts throughout East Africa are an asset, and as they require face-to-face maintenance, it will be important for Kipala to visit in person. Making use of his presence in Tanzania (April to July) anyway will be very smart - it would be a pity to let this opportunity pass by. Please act on this quickly! Thanks, --Baba Tabita (talk) 12:26, 28 March 2017 (UTC)