Bill and Melinda Gates initiative meets WIkipedia half way

Bill and Melinda Gates initiative meets WIkipedia half way

Bill and Melinda Gates initiative meets WIkipedia half way is a pilot contemplated project by Mompati Dikunwane to utilise the opportunity brought by the Bill and Melinda Gates of connecting free internet and wifi in all libraries in Botswana to improve the content of Botswana online using Wikipedia tools.

Expanded Global Libraries Initiative Increases Access to Information by Helping Public Libraries Provide Free Internet Services and Training.Botswana benefits from the latest information and training available on computers and the Internet. The grants by bill and Melinda will help Botswana plan for or provide free information technology services and training in public libraries and reading rooms.
This is a great initiative for wikipedia to get through, since in Botswana we have few editors and a less number of active contributors.

Project Aims for Bill and Melinda Gates initiative meets WIkipedia half way

To create awareness on wikipedia projects and educate the people from Botswana on how to contribute to Wikipedia or how to use the Wikipedia tools by training them under supervision of experienced wiki medians.
How to upload photos in to the public domain (Wikimedia commons) and later use them in improving articles or creating new articles.

Target Audience

1.All Libraries in Botswana

Actions of Bill and Melinda Gates initiative meets WIkipedia half way

Bill and Melinda Gates initiative meets WIkipedia half way intends to create awareness about Wikipedia and its sister projects in all students using the Bill and Melindas education program initiative in all libraries in Botswana and teach them what wikipedia is, how to be a part of wikipedia and contribute to it,uploading images or media files and publish them under the public domain for free access (licensed free under wikimedia commons ) this will be a great idea because we will not be paying any funds to the internet connection

List of Libraries (Location)

1. Ministry of youth sports and culture graduating students 2017(Masunga village)(31 March 2017). This are the student who benefited from the Bill and melinda gates initiative, which came to Botswana to provide free education for Batswana citizens, and there by provided the free internet and wifi connection in all the libraries and study rooms in Botswana.See this link for more information about Bill and Melinda gates initiative (Bill and melinda free internet access initiative to all Botswana libraries). The project is dubbed Sesigo_Botswana_e_public_library_Sefalana_sa_kitso

Photos of people who attended the program

Awarding of certificates
Masunga village Vice chancellor
Police officer at the event(Wikipedia)
Graduate posing at a Wikimedia Banner
Dancers with Mompati
Wikipedians to be
Community members
Masunga Wiki meeting
Community members Wikipedia

Team members

Mompati Dikunwane

Participants who attended the program

1. Gaonyadiwe Ntusa
2. Sarah Keipeile
3. Trust Mokgethi
4. Forget R. Sesinyi
5. Taboka K. Modwakae
6. Keorapetse Tshokolo
7. Tagwisa Musolina
8. Vari Atlholang
9. Kebatlamang Gucha
10.Goratileone Makala
11.Kebabonye T. Olebetse
12. Gomolemo Mareko
13. Chandapiwa Majaha
14. Onneile Matenje
15. Kelebonye Stephen
16. Lenthabetse Thapisa
17. Bazhi Siphambe
18. Shathiso Caiphus
19. Tapiwa Dichaba
20. Bajaki Butale
21. Esther Chankuluba
22. Amuchilani Jambo
23. Kedibonye Kgosietsile
24. Lekedzani James
25. Annastacia D. Makhumalo
26. Evelyn T. Ntuluki
27. Sangwibo Makanda
28. Evelyn Mangole
29. Sethembiso Monyamane
30. Pinkie Mpenya
31. Shadreck Chisanga
32. Joshua Chivokwani
33. Jabulane Chindu
34. Bashule Makala
35. Keneilwe Lesang
36. Boemo Botiki
37. Eunice Sekao
38. Jacqualine Mabutho
39. Sethunya Nsinamwa
40. Tebogo Kula Malingeni
41. Segametsi Moaga

Project activities

Performance by a Kalanga cultural group to honor the Wikipedia meet-up and graduation day.

Kalanga traditional group at a wikipedia Meeting
Mompati with Kalanga group traditional dancers
Kalanga group traditional dance

Project outcomes

They were introduced to wikipedia by word of mouth, and later we are planning an edit-a-thorn meeting to introduce the graduates to wikipedia by creatng accounts and teaching them how to contribute.
All attendees were interested in coming for an editathorn to learn how to contribute to Wikimedia and its sister projects.

The next project phase

World information technology and society day on the 20th May in Masunga village. All mobile operators will be present in this day therefore it will be a great chance to introduce Wikipedia Zero initiative to them so that they can make a decision about partnering with us.

The project challenges and opportunities

Opportunities

We had the Botswana daily news wanting to help us do other projects,they will be informing people nation wide.
The Ministry of youth Sports and culture provided our attendees with lunch after the event.
The attendees showed interest for Wikimedia projects which was promising to have a good number of editors in Botswana.

Challenges

The public address system was giving out poor sound quality.
We did not have Wikimedia swag or catalogs to give to our participants and other community members during the event.