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Grants:Project/WikiInAfrica/WikiFundi

< Grants:Project


statusselected
WikiFundi
summaryImprove WikiFundi user experience
targetFrench and English Wikipedia
amount23500 USD
nonprofityes
grantee• Anthere• Islahaddow
contact• fdevouard@anthere.org• isla@wikiinafrica.org
volunteer• Pbsouthwood
organization• Wiki In Africa
this project needs...
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created on07:50, 29 August 2017 (UTC)


Project idea edit

What is the problem you're trying to solve? edit

What problem are you trying to solve by doing this project? This problem should be small enough that you expect it to be completely or mostly resolved by the end of this project. Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.

4 billion people do not have internet access and less than 17% of sub-Saharan Africans use the internet [1]. 15% of the World’s population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, but only 6% of the world’s internet users do. In South Africa – one of the region’s most economically advanced countries – 22 million people remain unconnected to the internet [2].

What are the main reasons behind this lack of adoption? There are ongoing challenges around access to power, infrastructure and affordability ... but also there is a lack of rich local content and the inability of readers to see their realities reflected for all levels of engagement (from academic articles and Wikipedia to numbers of internet domains) and a critical lack of tech savvy people (including the numbers of bloggers, wikimedians or coders) across the population [3].

In addition to the critical lack of information about Africa online, we do not wish to reinvent the wheel. The world is reading Wikipedia [4]. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people access it offline.

Wikipedia is the one resource that echoes systematically across the continent. It is used by most people and is increasingly accessible since some mobile networks have zero-rated Wikipedia in countries across Africa.

However, Africa remains the territory with the least amount of subjects that specifically relate to its continental mass, population and cultures, and the fewest number of editors [5]. Without growing the number of articles on Wikipedia, it will never truly be an information resource for Africa’s one billion people.

Similarly, without people knowing they can edit and work together to create articles that are important to them, there will not be a growing generation of African Wikipedians who can add information about Africa to Wikipedia. It becomes a vicious cycle.

What is your solution to this problem? edit

For the problem you identified in the previous section, briefly describe your how you would like to address this problem. We recognize that there are many ways to solve a problem. We’d like to understand why you chose this particular solution, and why you think it is worth pursuing. Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.

User:Anthere and User:Islahaddow conceptualised, designed and created m:WikiFundi to answer the problems detailed above and to support the WikiAfrica movement and Wikimedia volunteers across Africa. WikiFundi is an offline editable environment that is a similar experience to editing Wikipedia online. WikiFundi allows for training on, and contribution to, Wikipedia when technology, access and electricity outages fail, are too expensive to contemplate or are not available at all. It uses offline network technology to bridge the experience and knowledge of users so that they can access resources that teach them how to contribute knowledge from Africa to Wikipedia and similar content platforms online.

WikiFundi, in its pilot version, is currently used by Wikimedia volunteer groups and school students in 13 countries across Africa. This application is to extend the successes of WikiFundi. To fix some of the bugs, add more content, refine the user experience and explore and implement multiple ways to disseminate more boxes to more users.

WikiFundi in a nutshell edit

 
A generic presentation of WikiFundi : c:File:WikiFundi generic presentation.pdf

WikiFundi bridges the gap between offline and online. It provides the experience of editing and collaborating on Wikipedia articles using an offline, closed network system (currently Raspberry Pi). The localised server hosts vital knowledge resources (Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wiki Source, etc.) and WikiFundi that allows for the collaborative development of ICT skills while participants learn to write articles.

WikiFundi is used by both Wikipedians training new volunteers to contribute African content via such Wiki In Africa projects as Wiki Loves Women. It is also used to build up the ICT, language and critical thought skills of the next generation of content creators through Wiki In Africa’s WikiChallenge African Schools and WikiAfrica Schools programmes.

In short, WikiFundi provides the tools for the next generation of content providers to learn key skills to access and add content to the internet, when they can access it.

WikiFundi is at the end of its proof of concept. It was designed to support the WikiAfrica movement and Wikimedia volunteers across Africa by Florence Devouard and Isla Haddow-Flood, in collaboration with Wikimedia CH. It was implemented by Emmanuel Engelhart (Kelson), Florence Devouard and other community members. The development of the first version of the software was supported by the Orange Foundation. The WikiFundi Software and its documentation is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Benefits of WikiFundi edit

At face value, WikiFundi is an easy way for people who don’t have endless access to the internet to learn how to contribute to Wikipedia and become familiar with the interface. The software provides the same experience as editing Wikipedia. It develops the ability for people within the same group or space to collaborate with each other on building articles, and to learn how to work with Wikipedia’s editing interface, and rules.

At a far deeper level, WikiFundi helps wikipedians and teachers to introduce online knowledge systems to future volunteers and students and teach them how these systems work. WikiFundi helps participants to acquire key ICT skills and teaches critical thought through the emphasis on referencing, citations and writing for neutrality. Additionally, the participants benefit by being part of a global movement and learn that their knowledge is both valued and valuable.

An exhaustive study showed that Wikipedia-based assignments provides valuable skills such research, teamwork, collaboration and digital and information literacy, and how to write for a public audience. The report found that students are more motivated by these assignments as they were proud of their work, spent more time, and saw the usefulness of the result beyond a learning task.

WikiFundi is the only innovation in the Wikimedia-focused offline education space that facilitates learning through content contribution. There are a several offline tools in the educational space, but these are aimed mainly at the user receiving and passively absorbing knowledge, and not learning via the active contribution of knowledge. Usually, the user is permanently set to receive mode. With WIkiFundi, the user is learning through action, through content creation, and making a contribution to the global knowledge of Africa. The experience is holistic.

WikiFundi is not meant to be a 100% offline solution. We view its power as a way to bridge offline and online. The project trains people for online work and opportunities where access to the internet currently fails them, for whatever reason.

Beneficiaries edit

The WikiFundi team has built the project to cater for two distinct groups: new and existing volunteer Wikipedians, and educators (schools, libraries, etc.).
WikiFundi supports volunteer Wikimedia communities as they grow and promote outreach to expand their community and engage with a variety of content partners. The use of WikiFundi helps the fledgling Wikimedia organisations to pave the way for a self-reliant future. In this situation, it is primarily meant for individuals and groups wanting to implement outreach projects, such as:

  • Working with galleries, libraries, archives and museums to bring cultural content online under a free licence;
  • Working with education partners to get educators and students to contribute and/or better understand Wikimedia projects; and
  • More generally, using the resources available via the project to organise edit-a-thons, workshops, press conferences, etc. to promote Wikimedia projects.

WikiFundi supports the work of educators by:

  • providing vital learning resources such as offline Wikipedia, Wiktionary, WikiSource, etc. and
  • a structured, secure offline way for children to learn how to research, organise and write encyclopedia articles in a way that can be reviewed by educators and peers alike.

There is a third, potential beneficiary … WikiFundi empowers those organisations and individuals that face connectivity issues (unreliable access to internet, high data cost, slow bandwidth) so that their users can collaborate while learning key ICT skills and writing encyclopedic articles or other texts. These may be people in poorly connected areas in the world (in particular Africa, but not limited to), or people confronted by very specific, limited conditions – such as being in refugee camps, in prison, in schools (where the leadership prefers not to expose the participants to the risks associated to free diving in the Internet, censorship, etc.).

The team behind WikiFundi currently focuses mostly on sub-Saharan Africa and seeks to extend its use within the educational contexts.

Current uses edit

The WikiFundi environment is currently operational in 13 countries via three programmes:

  • Wikipack Africa – where it assists the outreach work of Wikipedians in Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda (soon Togo)
  • WikiChallenge African Schools – getting 9-11 kids in primary school write articles for http://fr.vikidia.org. Part of the Orange Foundation’s Digital Schools Project in Guinée, Tunisia, Madagascar, and Mali (https://www.facebook.com/ConcourswikiChallengeEcolesdAfrique/)
  • WikiAfrica Schools – introduces, trains, and supports South African students (14-16) as they incorporate a Wikipedia article-writing programme into their curriculums. It is supported by lettera27. A video presents that project : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKpoZIOzjfQ

Links edit

Project goals edit

What are your goals for this project? Your goals should describe the top two or three benefits that will come out of your project. These should be benefits to the Wikimedia projects or Wikimedia communities. They should not be benefits to you individually. Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.

WikiFundi has been very well received by the participants of the programmes listed above. These programmes have provided essential feedback that, if implemented, will ensure that WikiFundi can be more effective to a far wider audience.
This project grant application is to ensure that WikiFundi achieves its potential as an effective tool to encourage new communities to contribute and thus get new voices, knowledges and perspectives heard on Wikipedia. This further development and scaling of WikiFundi will achieve the following objectives:

  1. Fix existing bugs and make coding improvements that have been reported by the current users,
  2. Increasing the outreach, educational and training resources that are available on the platform,
  3. Increase the training experience of the users by adding interactive tutorials in English and French,
  4. Meet with and develop a dissemination strategy with relevant partners working in the field of offline access to open source resources,
  5. Increase the communication reach and scope, and
  6. Explore future improvements to the software.

Project impact edit

How will you know if you have met your goals? edit

For each of your goals, we’d like you to answer the following questions:

  1. During your project, what will you do to achieve this goal? (These are your outputs.)
  2. Once your project is over, how will it continue to positively impact the Wikimedia community or projects? (These are your outcomes.)

For each of your answers, think about how you will capture this information. Will you capture it with a survey? With a story? Will you measure it with a number? Remember, if you plan to measure a number, you will need to set a numeric target in your proposal (i.e. 45 people, 10 articles, 100 scanned documents). Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.

Outputs edit

The outputs will be related to the 5 main focuses of the project:

1. Technology : Release of version 2.0 of WikiFundi
a. Outputs:

  • fixing bugs reported in the pilot V1 version released in January 2017 currently tested by its first users.
  • Implementing practical suggestions made by the users when deemed suitable (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiFundi/Pilot_feedback and https://github.com/kelson42/wikifundi/issues).
  • Split language versions: WikiFundi V1 was developed in both French and English. Both linguistic versions + digital content were added to a single type of SD card. We intend to consider doing versions per language rather than a full package. Using 128gb cards: for v1 the card required ended up being a 200 GB. 200 GB cards are difficult to order, expensive for the end users, and the capacity still did not allow space to add all the resources needed. Splitting the language into two separate SD cards will reduce the amount of space required and allow for more resources.

b. Delivery of the software:
The software and its documentation will be put on Github : https://github.com/kelson42/wikifundi
UserGuide and documentation of next release will be published on the usual platforms run by the Wikipedia community, such as on Wikimedia Commons : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiFundi
c. Dissemination:
All the current projects that are using WikiFundi via a micro SD card will be informed of the updated features.

2. Resources and Tutorials
a. Outputs

b. Delivery of Resources and Tutorials
The new and amended resources and tutorials will be incorporated into WikiFundi v2 release.
c. Dissemination:
All the current projects that are using WikiFundi via a micro SD card will be informed of the updated features.
Online: via Wikimedia projects, website and included in the downloads of Wikifundi v2

3. Creation of an explainer videos in French and English
a. Outputs
The production of explainer videos in French and English that promotes and explains WikiFundi by targeting more specifically

  • the education sector
  • NGOs working with poorly connected or limited access communities (slums, refugees, prisons, etc.)
  • the Raspberry PI community
  • the Open Source community

b. Delivery of explainer video in French and English
The explainer videos in two languages will be delivered in all display formats, including open platform formats required for Wikimedia Commons. The explainer videos will be available online, as well as on WikiFundi v2 under resources. The video will be developed using https://www.mysimpleshow.com

c. Dissemination:

  • Online:
    • Platforms: Youtube, Vimeo and Wikimedia Commons
    • Promotion and dissemination: websites, wikimedia projects, facebook and twitter
  • Offline:
    • on the WikiFundi v2 platform

4. Communications material and campaign
a. Outputs
Updating, expanding and creating digital bi-lingual versions of WikiFundi materials that speak to specific and identified target areas, including areas that have not yet been approached (offline or limited access communities, such as high density suburbs, refugees, etc.).
The creation of a digital marketing campaign to encourage the use of WikiFundi via partnering organisations and their communities.
b. Delivery of Communications material and campaign
There are a variety of forms this will be delivered in.

  • Materials - digital, downloadable and printable materials that could include flyers, posters, pitch decks, step-by-step cards, stickers, etc.
  • Campaign - a cross-platform campaign (could be facebook, whatsapp, and or twitter) that works at encouraging contribution to partners, potential partners and their communities.

c. Dissemination

  • Online materials:
    • Platforms: Wikimedia Commons, Partner’s websites and portals
  • Offline:
    • on the WikiFundi v2 platform as part of the resources
  • Online campaign:
    • via press release
    • Direct communication links with media and partnering organisations
  • Social media campaign
    • Platforms: Wikimedia Commons, Partner’s websites and portals
    • Promotion and dissemination: websites, wikimedia projects, facebook and twitter

5. Project expansion through partners
a. Outputs

  • Partnership set up with organizations already working in the field of offline access to knowledge (Kiwix-Wikipedia offline, Libraries without borders, Fondation Orange Digital Schools Network etc. ) so that they actively disseminate the WikiFundi software platform to their current users.

b. Delivery of Project expansion

  • Strategy agreed for WikiFundi distribution to interested partners and communities
  • Agreements made with a minimum of 3 partners

c. Dissemination

  • Via partnerships

-If we are successful, we will have ... edit

  1. Listed and fixed all bugs and made considerable improvements to the software,
  2. Released of version 2.0 of WikiFundi with updated documentation and an updated user guide,
  3. Released an explainer video,
  4. Acquired WikiFundi high satisfaction as to user experience (from feedback surveys with partners and users relating to WikiFundi V2 and its resources),
  5. Attain higher viewership analytics of website and social media platforms,
  6. International and continental media coverage of the project (Measure: media and online monitoring),
  7. Successfully engaged a growing audience through a social media campaign (Measure: social media likes and engagements analytics),
  8. A number of new partners, hosting platforms and interested groups, and
  9. Enthusiastic response and keen interest from the community and partners (measure: number of WikiFundi packs ordered by users/number of request for information).

Additionally, we would also like to see (but know this will be more difficult to monitor):

  1. Content creation (measure: articles uploaded and tagged with WikiFundi project template - Wikimedia assessment tracking and metrics tools)

However, this is unlikely to be an effective data collection until we develop a syncing system.

Do you have any goals around participation or content? edit

Are any of your goals related to increasing participation within the Wikimedia movement, or increasing/improving the content on Wikimedia projects? If so, we ask that you look through these three metrics, and include any that are relevant to your project. Please set a numeric target against the metrics, if applicable.

See above

Project plan edit

Activities edit

Tell us how you'll carry out your project. What will you and other organizers spend your time doing? What will you have done at the end of your project? How will you follow-up with people that are involved with your project?

The project methodology is multi-layered and involves the following milestones:
1. Technology 1

  1. Analysis of bugs and suggested additions
  2. Evaluation of effectiveness and benefits of required changes and additions,
  3. Development of all elements and testing by increment
  4. Testing of changes and user experience

2. Resources and Tutorials

  1. Analysis of current resources, suggested adaptations to existing tutorials and suggested new tutorials and materials, incorporation of changes from Stage 1 into existing and new materials.
  2. Evaluation of the effectiveness and benefits of required creation, changes and additions.
  3. Writing, design and development of finalised elements. Translation of material.
  4. Proofing, reviewing of elements. Testing usage experience and elements, and isolating key benefits for inclusion at communications and partners stages.

3. Explainer Videos

  1. Analysis of message to communicate. Analysis of current resources, and current technological options to create the video.
  2. Evaluation of the effectiveness and benefits of required creation.
  3. Scenario, writing, design, translation and then development of finalised elements.
  4. Editing, proofing, reviewing and testing usage experience and elements, and isolating key benefits for inclusion at communications and partners stages.
  5. Dissemination

4. Technology 2 (incorporation of resources and tutorials)

  1. Analysis of elements developed in stages 2 and 3
  2. Evaluation of presentation of the elements in the software
  3. Incorporation of the elements into the final batch/Testing by increment
  4. Testing usage and effectiveness.
  5. Production of different deliveries (per language/both language, sofware with/without resources)

5. Communications material and campaign

  1. Analysis of the target markets, of existing resources and of what is needed to reach the target markets; incorporation of changes and additions from stages 1, 2 and 3 into the comms as relevant.
  2. Evaluation of the distribution and engagement methods, adaptation of the materials to the target market and their needs, isolation of delivery channels.
  3. Creation of campaign, design of materials, translation of material, creation of delivery mechanisms.
  4. Printing, publishing and distribution of materials to identified areas. Ensuring campaign informs the project expansion stage.

6. Project expansion through partners

  1. Research and analysis of potential partners within the education, offline and e-education phase, as well as possible partners within refugee, prison spaces.
  2. Evaluation of the list and each target’s offering and the potential benefits of a partnership for the collective user.
  3. Approach and discussion with targeted partners about possible collaboration or partnership.
  4. Evaluation of partnerships, extensions and additional opportunities that have arisen out of this stage.

Contextual details edit

Community reviews edit

Most of the feedback and bug report collected about WikiFundi 1.0 came from:

  • the Wikimedia UserGroups in Africa who received and tested the packs
  • three schools in South Africa, with teachers and teenagers working with WikiFundi to write Wikipedia articles (to be fully collected in fall 2017)
  • Offline schools in 4 French-speaking African countries, with teachers and kids 9-11 participating to a Vikidia writing challenge using WikiFundi (to be fully collected in fall 2017)

Technologies edit

WikiFundi is dependent on the Raspberry Pi closed network technology with a micro SD 200gb card. There are several technological elements on the unit: a. Hardware: Raspberry PI 3 Model B
b. Operating system: Noob / Raspbian
c. Software: the software environment is based on MediaWiki (www.mediawiki.org), with use of some of its extensions
d. Resources: education and other resources (text, video and audio) have been developed by the wikimedia community (globally and in Africa). Specific offline Wikimedia resources have been developed over time as part of the Kiwix project (http://www.kiwix.org)
e. SD cards: the operating system, software and environment are loaded onto the SD.

Links to the current project online edit

Timeline of the project edit

Project duration : 6 months (January - June 2018)

Bug fixing : January-February
Collecting additional educational resources : February-March
Tutorials : February-April
Explainer video: February-March
UserGuide updates: March-April
Integration of resources and tutorials. Software delivery : April-May
Communication campaign : May-June and beyond
Partnership seeking and integration with other offline solutions : all along the project

The new version of the software must be fully delivered before Wikimania, which will be obviously a key moment for communication around the project and participation to offline hackathons.

Report to expect in August 2018

Budget edit

How you will use the funds you are requesting? List bullet points for each expense. (You can create a table later if needed.) Don’t forget to include a total amount, and update this amount in the Probox at the top of your page too!

Grant duration : 6 months

Category Description Qty Unit cost Amount in USD Notes Who
1 1 Personnel Project management 6 1200 7200 Florence
1 2 Personnel Communications management 2 1000 2000 Isla
2 1 Professional Services Explainer video 1 1000 1000 based on Simple How To Isla
2 2 Professional Services Technical development 1 3000 3000 Emmanuel mostly. Maybe partly to another developper
2 3 Professional Services Javascript implementation 1 1000 1000 This is for the tutorials Developper (Wikimooc team ?)
2 4 Professional Services User and comms design 1 700 700 Visual elements for the explainer video, illustrator/look and feel for tutorials and swag (stickers, stamps, etc.) Designer (Michael ?)
2 5 Professional Services Social media (Sascha ?) 1 500 500 Social media manager
2 6 Professional Services Translation 1 500 500 For comms materials, articles, social media, the explainer video Translator (Christine)
2 7 Professional Services Website improvements 1 400 400 Website additions improvement Website manager (Terri)
3 1 Operational Improvement to resources, navigation, user experience 1 1000 1000 Florence
3 2 Operational and Research Tutorials adaptation and development 2 1000 2000 Research, content and creation... Florence / Isla / Christine
4 1 Travel Partners meeting travel 4 200 800
5 1 Support Services Marketing materials printed 1 200 200 Leaflets...
6 1 Equipment SD cards 10 90 900 Mix 128 (60 euros) and 200 GB (85 euros)
6 2 Equipment Raspberries PI3 5 90 450 80 euros in Euros (cheaper in SA)
7 1 Shipping Shipping of SD cards, materials, final boxes 1 300 300 from FR and SA to end-users or partners
8 1 Financial costs transfer and currency 1 400 400
9 1 Contingency 1150
TOTAL 23500

Community engagement edit

How will you let others in your community know about your project? Why are you targeting a specific audience? How will you engage the community you’re aiming to serve at various points during your project? Community input and participation helps make projects successful.

In the past edit

  • we attended and presented WikiFundi during WikiIndaba 2017 in Ghana, during Wikimania 2017 in Montreal, during Wikiconvention Francophone in Strasbourg.
  • we already communicate on the project through a website, Facebook and twitter
  • WikiFundi is already used in no less than 13 countries, in particular in schools in South Africa, Madagascar, Tunisia, Mali and Guinea, as part of the Digital Schools program of the Orange Foundation
  • We were invited to join the Offline Hackathon in Potsdam in summer 2017, a great opportunity to let offline non wikimedian teams know about WikiFundi
    • During the hackathon, WikiFundi was packaged for the PiBox installer [1], making it its second distribution (it is already distributed by the Orange Foundation on their own software solution)

In the future edit

Notes and references edit

  1. ↑ Digital Dividends, http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/896971468194972881/pdf/102725-PUB-Replacement-PUBLIC.pdf
  2. ↑ How universal internet access could reboot South Africa, 16 June 2017 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/dare-to-dream-this-is-how-internet4all-could-reboot-sa
  3. ↑ Engagement in the Knowledge Economy: Regional patterns of content creation with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, Ojanperä, S., Graham, M., Straumann, R. K., De Sabbata, S., & Zook, M. (2017), Oxford Internet Institute, http://itidjournal.org/index.php/itid/article/view/1479/570
  4. ↑ http://www.alexa.com/topsites
  5. ↑ Explaining locally-contributed content in Wikipedia about Sub-Saharan Africa, 12 December 2014 by Mark Graham http://cii.oii.ox.ac.uk/2014/12/12/explaining-locally-contributed-content-in-wikipedia-about-sub-saharan-africa/

Get involved edit

Participants edit

Please use this section to tell us more about who is working on this project. For each member of the team, please describe any project-related skills, experience, or other background you have that might help contribute to making this idea a success.

Florence Devouard, Project Manager (French)
Wikipedian since 2002, former Chair of Wikimedia Foundation and founding member of Wikimedia France. Since 2013, Florence is the leader of projects related to Wikipedia and Africa, such as Wiki Loves Africa (photographic contest in Africa), Kumusha Takes Wiki (citizen journalism to collect and create freely-licensed content in Africa), or Wiki Loves Women (content liberation project related to African Women). She also participated as Scientific Collaborator at SUSPI to the Wikipedia Primary School SSAJRP research programme (developing and evaluating a system to assess Wikipedia articles for primary education in South Africa).

Isla Haddow-Flood, Communication Manager (English)
A Zimbabwean by birth, and a Capetonian by adoption, Isla Haddow-Flood is a writer, editor and open movement strategist who is passionate about harnessing communication technology and media platforms for the advancement of open access to knowledge; specifically, knowledge that relates to and enhances the understanding of Africa via the Open Movement (and especially Wikipedia).
Isla has extensive experience of working with open movement communities and various kinds of civil society organisations to contribute to Wikipedia. From 2011 to 2012 she was involved in WikiAfrica’s Share Your Knowledge project that saw 30,000 contributions of African knowledge to Wikipedia. She researched and wrote the South Africa feasibility study for the Wikipedia Primary project, co-lead the inaugural Wiki Indaba and worked on Wiki Loves Monuments in South Africa. Since 2013, Isla instigated and lead many projects to bolster the numbers of Wikipedians and contributions from organisations across the continent. These include #OpenAfrica training courses in 2014 and 2015, the Toolkits project, and Kumusha Bus in Ethiopia and Ghana (funded by a CC Affiliate Grant in collaboration with Creative Commons ZA), the Prince Claus-funded WikiEntrepreneur project in Ethiopia and Malawi etc.

Emmanuel Engelhart will be the Technical manager involved in the project. Emmanuel is the leading person behind the Kiwix project.

  • Volunteer I am not sure how I can best help. I am not technically skilled in hardware or software development, but do have some familiarity with Wikicode and quite a lot of editing experience on Wikipedia, Wikivoyage and to a lesser extent some other projects. I would be interested in testing the systems from a user point of view and helping to produce user-manual and help documentation based on personal experience with the system, which I do not yet have. I live in Cape Town, and am on the Wikimania 2018 team. · · · Peter (Southwood) (talk): 05:58, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
Hi Peter. Awesome. I'll be back to you ! Anthere (talk)

Community notification edit

You are responsible for notifying relevant communities of your proposal, so that they can help you! Depending on your project, notification may be most appropriate on a Village Pump, talk page, mailing list, etc.--> Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions. Need notification tips?

Endorsements edit

Do you think this project should be selected for a Project Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project below! (Other constructive feedback is welcome on the discussion page).

  • Michaelgraaf (talk) 14:38, 4 October 2017 (UTC)
  • Offline solutions have become indispensable in Africa and the Global South when it comes to ensuring digital justice. I have personally used Wikifundi and find it very relevant and as such something that should be promoted. In view of this I wholeheartedly support this grant application and recommends its funding. Rberchie (talk) 12:03, 6 October 2017 (UTC)
  • C'est une initiative à encourager et surtout à améliorer d'autant qu'elle permet une certaine autonomie vis à vis d'Internet. Papischou (talk) 13:53, 6 October 2017 (UTC)
  • Avec tout la poussée des technologies de l'information et de la communication, ceci est d'une très grande utilité pour l'Afrique. Geugeor (talk) 15:05, 6 October 2017 (UTC)
  • I am so excited to see the effort being put towards the success of this project, so that complications created by lack of access to quality internet and its affordability can be properly managed by African Wikipedians . I am sure if this grant is approved the device would be more stable. Olaniyan Olushola (talk) 17:29, 6 October 2017 (UTC)
  • This project is an excellent way to expand coverage of African content, which is sorely lacking at present. It also empowers schools and children in some of the most underresourced areas of the world. This is very much in line with the Foundation's vision statement, and should be supported so it can go to the next level. Walkerma (talk) 14:54, 8 October 2017 (UTC).
  • Wikimedia foundation must to continue to support that kind of projects : because that improve the dissemination to whose haven't the conectivity, in algeria wikifundi has helped us by giving us a box with offline wikipedia, Now we use it during our presentations and when we start wikipedia education prgram. Mohammed Bachounda (talk) 14:15, 9 October 2017 (UTC)
  • WikiFundi is one of the ways through which we can get the vast knowledge on Wikipedia to places where people wouldn't have been able to access it otherwise. This is a great project! I totally endorse.--Jamie Tubers (talk) 02:00, 10 October 2017 (UTC)
  • This kind of project is crucial and important to the Wikimedia movement especially due inaccessibility of internet to some area. With the project, it will bring a soothing solution. Good work Kaizenify (talk) 10:33, 10 October 2017 (UTC)
  • providing access to knowledge in Africa is so important and cannot be implemented without overcoming the hurdle of connectivity. I also want to stress that compensating financially the high responsibilities of a project manager - especially women who earn less and are more involved in care activities - is crucial to the long lasting success of a project. Nattes à chat (talk) 08:52, 14 October 2017 (UTC)
  • Endorse - I was the PI responsible for the education research referenced above. This is a fantastic opportunity to teach some incredible skills. I am interested in the actually pedagogy, as the previous research was online in a space where they all "knew" what Wikipedia was, so helping students both understand the impact of their contributions as well as laying out a plan for future integration to online-Wikipedia will be key for motivating factors. ZachMcDowell (talk) 00:54, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
  • WikiFundi will bring about inclusion for areas with limited access to internet. Asides from giving Wikipedia more users, it will also give a lot of students access to information which is the essence of education. #IsupportWikiFundi Kayusyussuf (talk) 04:03, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
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