Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/AfroCuration Ghana 2024:“WHO WE ARE:Showcasing Diversities in African Art and Aesthetics

Feedback from the Middle East and Africa Regional Funding Committee on your proposal

Dear Wikimedians of the Twi Language team,

Thank you very much for your proposal, describing your activities and projects in support of the Wikimedia projects and the Wikimedia movement. The Regional Committee has initially reviewed the proposal, and wishes to offer some initial feedback and questions for your review.

First and foremost, we would like to understand your intention to apply for a General Support Fund instead of two rapid fund grants, which would have covered the same amount. Given that the proposal is for only about 1 month of work and covers a main event with a duration of only 3 days, we feel that this proposal does not meet the requirements of the GSF, which supports the implementation of more complex annual plans, stretching usually through a year. We are also curious to know why this event, which was supported externally by other foundations in previous years, requires WMF funding this time?

Response: The organization of AfroCuration usually takes more than a month of preparation. It takes the following preparation itemized :

• · The first few months involve preliminary meetings with our potential partners, mostly the heads of the Universities to discuss and agree upon a theme that will be relevant and time that will be appropriate and to our audience.
• · Once a theme and time is decided upon, a grant proposal is drafted and submitted for support and funding of the program.
• · After the grant is approved, the next few months involves publicity campaigns in the form of presentations to the various faculties and University bodies who are our main source of editors in public media for editors from the public and lastly our internal community platforms via our various social media pages.
• · This is followed by the opening of portals for enrollment.
• · After the deadline for enrollment there is vetting and registration of editors.
• · This is followed by a month or two of training workshops both physical and virtual to bring the editors up to speed on how to edit and create content on Wikipedia and Wikidata during the three-day event.
• · Language experts vet the prepared articles by the registered editors to be published during the event and make recommendations on the content.
• Everything ends with the week of the AfroCuration after the AfroCuration event.
• · After the main event, a follow up events are conducted for about 1 to 2 months to ensure that editors who partook in AfroCuration continue to contribute to the various Wikimedia platforms they were introduced to during the AfroCuration event.
• · The last 1 to 2 months before the cycle for the next AfroCuration begins involves meetings with our main partners to evaluate our activities and make recommendations for improvement. This is followed by preparation and presentation of our final report by the organizing team.

It is worth mentioning that for this year’s AfroCuration we have already began some of the activities due to the anticipated delay in submission and approval of our grant application. Though we had knowledge that rapid grant has a cap of USD 5,000. We are also aware from the eligibility requirements that “the total fund amount an individual can access per fiscal year (e.g. July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) is up to USD 10,000.” Thus our decision to apply for funds within the cap, however our decision to apply for the General Support Fund was based on guidance from a representative of the grants committee, with the understanding that it will support our funding needs since it supports funding above USD5000.
Secondly, we acknowledge that this project may not align perfectly with the typical scope of the GSF. However, we also went ahead with the application for funding through the GSF because of our understanding on the scope of work involved which happens over a cumulative period of about a year.
From this explanation, we would like to know if the committee still thinks the scope of work does not fit funding by a General Support Fund. If so, we would be grateful for an explanation on how to convert this application into 2 Rapid Grant applications.
We require WMF funding because the Moleskine Foundation no longer provides funding for AfroCuration. Moleskine Foundation, the originator of the program, thus, encouraged us to seek funding directly with the foundation. We believe that our continued collaboration with the Moleskine Foundation demonstrates the ongoing value and relevance of the AfroCuration Project, and we are grateful for the opportunity to apply for funding directly with WMF.

The committee would still like to offer further recommendations to improve your future proposals in general:

• While the proposal builds on the strength of partnerships with a lot of local organizations and institutions to provide volunteers, and we find the whole concept of the AfroCuration in itself beautiful, for a future GSF request it would be worthwhile to explore deeper the specific strategies that can be used to cover the knowledge gaps that exists in African Culture to have more impact for the community, as well as how the proposed activities and strategies respond clearly and impactfully to your local challenges. Connected to this, it would be useful to explain how previous AfroCuration events led to integration of knowledge gaps into University curriculums or how this is planned exactly, and how these previous results were linked to partnerships, and what impact these partnerships led to in the past?

Response: We are grateful for these recommendations. We plan that for this year and subsequent years’ AfroCuration events, the identified knowledge gap would be integrated into the curriculums of our partner Universities by:
Firstly, proposing the addition of these knowledge gaps that exist in African culture into extracurricular activities specifically the activities relating to African culture.
Secondly, proposing that these knowledge gaps are highlighted while teaching main academic courses that have a bearing with African culture, culture, or content creation.
In terms of impact from these partnerships, the integration of knowledge gaps into University curriculums through Afro-Curation events is a gradual process that will have significant impact. It starts with the involvement of lecturers and Academia in these events, where we raise awareness about the potential benefits of Wikipedia. Through their participation and support, we can gradually incorporate knowledge gaps into their lectures and eventually extend it to the departments and the entire university. It is worth mentioning that a discussion has taken place with the provost at KNUST to align and approve the theme for this year’s AfroCuration. Additionally, we have submitted a memorandum to Ajumako University and are currently awaiting feedback from their legal team to officially commence activities with the institution.

• It would be useful to clarify the exact audience for the events, are you targeting newcomers or experienced editors, or participants who already work in the fields identified as knowledge gaps in African culture, and explore how to retain participants as editors after such an event? How to follow up such events?

Response: Our target audience for the event are Ghanaian language students of the partner universities who are new to editing on Wikipedia and WikiData. We would also include participants who already work or study in the area of African and Ghanaian art. As a result,one of our goals is to extend the reach of recruitment to that of the Arts department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. As our publicity campaigns include public media outlets, we plan to also enroll interested persons from the general public who are Ghanaian languages enthusiasts who may or may not be new to editing on Wikipedia. Finally, we would include our experienced editors, some of whom participated in previous AfroCuration events. It is worth mentioning that editors to be recruited will come from about 5 different Ghanaian languages - Twi, Ewe, Moore, Dagbani and Gurene. Since there are Wikipedia communities of these languages in the country, the said communities will be onboarded on the event and the theme to enroll interested participants.
To ensure continued engagement and retention among Ghanaian language students, we aim to sustain their interest by organizing extracurricular activities that focus on addressing the knowledge gaps in African Culture. For individuals already involved in African and Ghanaian art, we will arrange regular edit-a-thons and knowledge sharing meetups to further their work in their specific areas of interest. Additionally, participants from the general public will be paired with experienced editors who will serve as mentors, guiding them in creating content on topics they are interested in.

• It would strengthen the outreach to leverage the power of social media and platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Tiktok live events to reach more people instead of a 10-minute interview produced at high cost.

Response: We intend to utilise our social media pages. However our decision to resort to a 10- minute interview especially with a local media station is because we believe Traditional media like TV and radio often have established credibility and authority, which can lend credibility to the advertisements aired on these platforms. In addition, unlike social media, where users can scroll past ads quickly, radio and TV ads can capture attention more effectively because they are often integrated into the content people are consuming.

• In your budget file, further clarifications are needed on the amount of work carried out by each person (e.g. no of hours the staff supposed to work per day/month), how you avoid duplication of efforts with clear job descriptions, and how much compensation you give to each personnel based on monthly payroll information or industry standards, if they are contractors.

Response:

Budget Breakdown for Team Management

Team Member	Role	Rate per hour	Number of Hours	Wage
Jemima Antwi (User: Jemima2019)	Project Lead Responsible for setting project goals, developing a project plan, and overseeing the implementation of activities. Liaises with partners, stakeholders, and participants to ensure effective communication and collaboration. Provide guidance and support to team members and volunteers, ensuring everyone is aligned with the project's objectives. Monitor progress, identifies challenges, and takes corrective actions as needed to ensure the project's success.	$22	12	$264
Yvonne Darko (User:Naa2Darkoa)	Trainer Responsible for organising and conducting training sessions and workshops for participants. Develop training materials, and agendas based on the needs of the participants and the objectives of the AfroCuration project. Delivering presentations, leading discussions, and providing hands-on guidance to participants on topics such as Wikipedia editing, citation methods, and cultural insights.	$16	7	$112
Abigail Darko (User: Amoaniwaa)	Communications Supervisor/IT Technician/Facilitator Responsible for managing all communication channels and activities related to the AfroCuration project. In charge of the development and execution of communication strategies to promote the event, engage participants, and raise awareness about African art and culture. Management of social media accounts, creating content for newsletters and press releases, and coordinating outreach efforts. In charge of the development of promotional materials such as flyers, posters, and videos.	$15	7	$105
Nadaine Samira (User: Warmglow)	Logistics Responsible for coordinating all logistical aspects of the AfroCuration event, including venue, equipment, and supplies. In charge of securing a suitable venue for the event and ensuring it is equipped with necessary facilities such as internet access, projectors, and seating arrangements. Management of event registration, coordinating transportation and accommodation for participants if necessary, and overseeing catering arrangements.	$15	6	$90
Valentine Badu (User: Valentine Badu)	Facilitator Encourage teamwork, peer learning, and knowledge sharing among participants, facilitating opportunities for networking and collaboration. Manage time effectively during workshops and edit-a-thons, ensuring that all planned activities are completed within the designated time frame. Address questions, clarify doubts, and offer troubleshooting assistance to ensure participants feel confident and empowered to contribute.	$16	6	$96
Total	-	-	-	$667

We hope you find this feedback useful. In terms of the schedule for our review process, please complete your review and responses to committee feedback by 01st of May 2024. After this time, the Regional Committee will begin a final review of the proposal to make a formal decision.

Thanks again for your work on the proposal and supporting our review.

On behalf of the Regional Committee, Pellagia Njau (talk) 13:23, 10 April 2024 (UTC)