Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedians of Arusha Annual Program 2024-25

Comments after revision of Regional Committee

Dear Open Knowledge Tanzania - Wikimedians of Arusha Community,

Thank you for submitting your request for General Support Funding. We reviewed and discussed your proposal and would like to share comments, recommendations and questions for you to engage with. Your responses and comments will support the committee and staff in making a final funding decision.

While you indicated the strategic focus areas we found it challenging to understand more about the areas since there were no details to support in deepened understanding. Please provide more details on the strategic areas that speak to the programs and activities, you will conduct. The programs and activities need to be well linked to the theory of change - since the programs are the enablers of the realization / actualization of the TOC and not necessarily independent.

Related to this, we are curious to know, what is the vision of Open Knowledge Tanzania and how that informs the programs you choose to focus on.

We noticed consistent working on similar Wikimedia projects - Wikipedia, Commons and Wiki Data. We were curious to learn more on the details of your contribution to each of these projects. For instance, with Wikipedia, we assume this is on Swahili Wikipedia and English Wikipedia - would you clarify? Also what type of contribution are you seeking to make? For instance in alignment with your gender work, how many articles are you seeking to create or improve?

Overall, we need more details to help us understand what your planned contribution is going to be and what in the past work, informs this anticipated contribution.

In this line, we are keen to learn if you are able to speak to your contribution to sw.wikipedia as a community? And the same for other Wikimedia projects you have been working on.

We noticed that you are not planning to work on Wiktionary as you did last / this year and are keen to learn more about the shift in focus.

We see an opportunity for the team to work with partners in the movement to supporting you in developing the needed competencies to skillfully contribute to Wikimedia projects. How is the organization working on ensuring the core team has the needed skills to enable others in skillfully contributing to the projects?

We find your metrics to be low for the resources being requested and also recognizing that you are planning to participate in major campaigns that typically serve as strategic content drivers.

We see majority of your budget going to admin cost and are uncertain on the rationale informing this distribution and especially when we also look at the proposed impact. Noting as well that we see an increase in budget compared to last year, and unclear on the motivation behind this.

Governance; We would like to know more about your governance structures and engagement of parties involved with the work being implemented by the organization.

Additional Feedback from expert reviews focusing on your gender work; Although the applicant has developed very clear strategic project management documents such as a Theory of Change, Swot Analysis, and Risk mitigation Strategies, the proposal could benefit from concrete examples of practices to include the community of volunteers in the planning and implementation, as well as on collecting feedback from the community about how this project and programming impacts them.

The applicant has developed very clear strategic project management documents such as a Theory of Change, Swot Analysis, and Risk mitigation Strategies. In their Theory of Change, the topic "Address the gender gap" includes:

1. Organize events and initiatives that focus on increasing the participation and representation of women in Wikimedia projects. 2. Amplify the voices and perspectives of women in the community and on Wikimedia projects 3. Encourage and support women to take on leadership roles and responsibilities within the community, etc.

Their program timeline includes "Women in Wiki Training" and the" Write for African Women project". The proposal would benefit from clarity on these activities. Are they content-focused? Participation focused? Leadership/governance focused? Are there other activities programmed to carry out the interventions above?

Again, the proposal offers valuable strategic project management documents but would benefit from specific action plans to achieve the aimed impact and goals.As an example, engaging women and gender-diverse people from the community in the planning and implementation of the program can foster innovation and creativity, boosting communities' sustainability. Ie: working with community experts on certain topics, who can share their knowledge to 1. help the Arusha team curate the generated content lists, 2. as well as join open round tables to discuss the topic can be a good practice to achieve points 1, 2, and 3.

As mentioned, the proposal offers well designed project management documents, nonetheless it could benefit from getting more specific in terms of how these documents translate while being applied to the Wikimedia ecosystem, especially regarding the targeted Wikimedia projects and knowledge content.

Regarding the schedule for our review process, please complete your review and responses to committee feedback by the 1st 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 for supporting our review. On behalf of the Regional Committee, Iwuala Lucy (talk) 18:41, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

Feedback to comments from Regional Committee

Thank you so much for your constructive feedback on our proposal. Here are our responses to your comments, questions and feedback.s

• Comment from Regional Committee - While you indicated the strategic focus areas we found it challenging to understand more about the areas since there were no details to support in deepened understanding. Please provide more details on the strategic areas that speak to the programs and activities, you will conduct. The programs and activities need to be well linked to the theory of change - since the programs are the enablers of the realization / actualization of the TOC and not necessarily independent.

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback and for highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of our strategic focus areas and their alignment with our theory of change (TOC). We appreciate the opportunity to provide more clarity on this matter. Our strategic goals and associated programs are linked to our TOC, which outlines the pathway for achieving our desired outcomes. Here is a more detailed explanation of how each goal and its programs contribute to our overarching vision:
Goal 1: Expand Content Coverage
This goal is essential for promoting open knowledge and addressing the limited content coverage on Wikimedia projects, a key assumption of our TOC. Programs such as Swahili Month,Wikipedia Page Wanting Photos Arusha, WikiVibrance – International Youth Day, Months of African Cinema,WikiVibrance – African Youth Month, 1lib1ref, Arts & Folklore, WikiGap, WikiforHumanRightsCampaign, Photowalks, directly contribute to creating high-quality, underrepresented content. By organizing events and initiatives and building partnerships, we aim to access and share underrepresented knowledge resources, thereby fulfilling the objectives outlined in our TOC.
Goal 2: Grow and Engage the Community
Our TOC assumes that community growth and engagement are crucial for sustaining our efforts. The Annual Community Meeting program provides opportunities for meaningful participation, aligning with our strategy to foster engagement. Collaboration with other groups and organizations, as well as encouraging leadership roles within the community, directly addresses the need for increased diversity and engagement, as outlined in our TOC.
Goal 3: Strengthen Capacities
Capacity building is fundamental to our TOC as it ensures that community members have the necessary skills and resources to contribute effectively. The Training the Trainers Program directly addresses the need to build skills and capacities, while mentorship opportunities and learning from established Wikimedia communities align with our strategy to empower and develop community members.
Goal 4: Address the Gender Gap
Our TOC recognizes that closing the gender gap is essential for fostering inclusiveness and diversity within our community. Programs such as Women in Wiki Training and Write for African Women Project directly target increasing women's participation and representation, addressing the challenges outlined in our TOC. By amplifying women's voices and encouraging leadership roles, we aim to achieve greater gender balance within our community.
Goal 5: Build Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partnerships are vital for accessing resources and amplifying our impact, as stated in our TOC. Programs like Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom and Kiwix for Schools demonstrate our efforts to collaborate with organizations that share our vision and mission. By identifying and engaging with potential partners and leveraging resources, we aim to achieve our shared goals more effectively.
Goal 6: Raise Awareness and Promote Inclusiveness
Promoting awareness and inclusiveness is integral to our TOC, as it fosters a culture of open knowledge sharing. Programs such as developing educational resources and conducting outreach activities directly contribute to these objectives. By engaging underrepresented communities and promoting a culture of inclusiveness, we aim to create a more diverse and welcoming community, as envisioned in our TOC.
In summary, each of our strategic goals and associated programs is carefully designed to align with our theory of change, which outlines our pathway to achieving our vision of a vibrant and sustainable community of contributors. We remain committed to implementing these strategies effectively and welcome further discussion on how we can continuously improve and refine our approach to maximize our impact.

• Comment from Regional Committee - Related to this, we are curious to know, what is the vision of Open Knowledge Tanzania and how that informs the programs you choose to focus on.

Feedback
Absolutely, we are happy to share more about our vision and how it influences the programs we focus on, as well as the details of our contributions to Wikimedia projects. Our vision revolves around creating a world where open knowledge is accessible, inclusive, and beneficial for everyone. This vision informs every decision we make, guiding us to prioritize initiatives that promote openness, inclusivity, and quality in knowledge sharing.

• Comment from Regional Committee

We noticed consistent working on similar Wikimedia projects - Wikipedia, Commons and Wiki Data. We were curious to learn more on the details of your contribution to each of these projects. For instance, with Wikipedia, we assume this is on Swahili Wikipedia and English Wikipedia - would you clarify? Also what type of contribution are you seeking to make? For instance in alignment with your gender work, how many articles are you seeking to create or improve? Overall, we need more details to help us understand what your planned contribution is going to be and what in the past work, informs this anticipated contribution. In this line, we are keen to learn if you are able to speak to your contribution to sw.wikipedia as a community? And the same for other Wikimedia projects you have been working on.

Feedback
In terms of our contributions to Wikimedia projects, you're correct that we primarily focus on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata. On Wikipedia, we indeed contribute to mostly Swahili Wikipedia, aiming to create and improve articles that cover underrepresented topics, particularly those relevant to our local community and beyond. Our contributions range from writing new articles to improving existing ones, always with a focus on quality and accuracy. From our annual grant in 2022 – 2023 we were able to edit more than 12,700 articles. Similarly, on Wikimedia Commons, we work to share multimedia content that enhances the quality and depth of articles on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. This includes uploading photos, or other media that help illustrate and enrich articles. From our annual grant in 2022 – 2023 we were able to upload more than 800. As for Wikidata, we contribute by adding and improving structured data related to our areas of interest, helping to enhance the accessibility and usability of information across Wikimedia projects. From our annual grant in 2022 – 2023 we were able to make more than 11,500 revisions. Regarding our gender-focused work, we're committed to increasing the representation and participation of women on Wikimedia projects. We target to have more than 600 articles created and/or improved, our goal is to actively engage and support women contributors, ensuring their voices and perspectives are well-represented in the content we produce. Ultimately, our contributions to these projects are driven by our vision of promoting open knowledge and inclusivity, and we're always looking for ways to make a meaningful impact in line with these values.

• Comment from Regional Committee - We noticed that you are not planning to work on Wiktionary as you did last / this year and are keen to learn more about the shift in focus.

We see an opportunity for the team to work with partners in the movement to supporting you in developing the needed competencies to skillfully contribute to Wikimedia projects. How is the organization working on ensuring the core team has the needed skills to enable others in skillfully contributing to the projects?

Feedback
Ensuring that our core team possesses the necessary skills to empower others in contributing effectively to Wikimedia projects is a key priority for us. We have developed a multifaceted approach to address this, focusing on continuous learning, mentorship, and collaboration.
Firstly, we provide regular training and development opportunities for our core team members to enhance their skills in content creation, community engagement, and project management. All our core team members are part of the Let's Connect program where they learn more about Wikimedia and its projects. These training sessions cover a range of topics, including editing techniques, best practices in communication and collaboration, and strategies for fostering inclusivity.
Additionally, we foster a culture of mentorship within our organization, where experienced team members mentor newer contributors, sharing their knowledge and expertise. Core team members get to share and learn from other experienced wikimedians in our community. We reach out to other Wikimedia communities to seek for mentorship on particular topics. For example we reached to user Dnshitobu from Ghana to help train some of the core team membeers on Wikidata. This mentorship not only helps to develop the skills of individual team members but also builds a supportive and collaborative environment where everyone feels empowered to learn and grow.
Furthermore, we encourage our core team members to participate in external learning opportunities such as workshops, conferences, and online courses related to their areas of interest and expertise. By continuously expanding their knowledge and staying abreast of emerging trends and developments in the field, our team members are better equipped to support and guide others in skillfully contributing to Wikimedia projects.
Lastly, we emphasize the importance of collaboration and teamwork within our core team, encouraging members to leverage each other's strengths and expertise to achieve common goals. By fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing, we ensure that our team remains adaptable, resilient, and equipped to enable others in skillfully contributing to Wikimedia projects.
Our approach to ensuring that our core team has the needed skills to enable others in skillfully contributing to projects encompasses continuous learning, mentorship, external development opportunities, and a collaborative team culture. Through these efforts, we strive to build a strong and capable core team that serves as a catalyst for empowering others in our community.

While our focus may be shifting slightly this year, we remain committed to supporting collaborative projects like Wiktionary whenever possible. Our decision to allocate resources differently is driven by our evolving priorities, but it does not diminish our appreciation for the valuable work being done on Wiktionary. We are always open to exploring opportunities for partnership and collaboration, and we would welcome the chance to discuss how we can continue to support Wiktionary. If there are specific areas where you believe our expertise or resources could be beneficial, please don't hesitate to let us know. We're eager to explore ways to contribute meaningfully to Wiktionary and other collaborative initiatives in the future.

• Comment from Regional Committee - We find your metrics to be low for the resources being requested and also recognizing that you are planning to participate in major campaigns that typically serve as strategic content drivers.

Feedback - We appreciate your perspective and understand your concerns regarding the metrics outlined in our proposal. It's important to note that while we have provided what may seem like minimum metrics, our past experience has shown that we often exceed these targets. In our previous funding period (2022-2023), we set similar minimum metrics, but the actual outcomes surpassed our initial expectations by more than triple for some projects like Wikipedia and more than double for other projects. We recognize the significance of participating in major campaigns as strategic content drivers, and we acknowledge that our proposed metrics may not fully reflect the potential impact of these initiatives. We are committed to continuous improvement and maximizing our impact, and we have adjusted our metrics to reflect higher targets. Our ultimate aim is to achieve meaningful outcomes and contribute significantly to the Wikimedia projects and the broader community. Your feedback is invaluable in guiding us towards setting more ambitious goals.

• Comment from Regional Committee - We see majority of your budget going to admin cost and are uncertain on the rationale informing this distribution and especially when we also look at the proposed impact. Noting as well that we see an increase in budget compared to last year, and unclear on the motivation behind this.

Feedback
When considering the increase in budget compared to last year, it's worth mentioning that our operations have grown to address the increasing demands. The rise in budget is attributed to the introduction of several new initiatives, including the community hub, the reading Wikipedia in the classroom program, the Kiwix for schools program, as well as covering annual NGO fees, unanticipated expenses, and international travel for attending Wikimedia events. This expansion requires additional resources to uphold the quality of our work and to effectively expand our impact.
Thank you for your observation and concerns regarding our budget allocation, particularly towards administrative costs. We understand the importance of transparency in our financial decisions. Most of our budget allocated to administrative costs is due to the structure and responsibilities of our team members. As an NGO registered in Tanzania, we adhere to well-defined roles for our staff, including positions such as Executive Director, Chief Operations Officer, Chief Communications Officer, and Accountant. These roles are crucial for the effective functioning of our organization and achieving our mission.
The staff expenses and salaries mentioned in our proposal are based on industry standards and market rates in Tanzania. We have ensured that our staff salaries fall within the median range, as indicated by reputable sources such as Paylab, considering the roles, responsibilities, and time commitments of our team members. Furthermore, it's important to note that in addition to salaries, there are Payee and National Social Security Fund (NSSF) charges that will be deducted from the salaries to comply with the rules and regulations in Tanzania. These deductions are mandatory and contribute to our commitment to legal compliance and supporting social security measures for our staff.
We believe that offering salaries within the median range, along with adhering to legal obligations such as Payee and NSSF contributions, allows our team members to receive fair and competitive compensation while ensuring compliance with Tanzanian regulations. We appreciate your feedback and remain committed to maximizing the impact of our programs while maintaining fiscal responsibility and transparency.

• Comment from Regional Committee - Governance; We would like to know more about your governance structures and engagement of parties involved with the work being implemented by the organization.

Feedback
Our governance structure has a board of directors, executive committee, committees, members, and volunteers. The Board of Directors provides overall leadership and direction for the organization. They set policies and strategies, oversee finances, and ensure that the organization's mission is being fulfilled. The executive committee is made up of the Executive Director, Vice Executive Director, Chief Operations Officer, and treasurer of the organization. They oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization, manage finances, and implement policies and procedures established by the board of directors. Committees are groups of members or volunteers who focus on specific areas of the organization's work, such as events, or communications. Members are individuals who support the organization's mission. They have voting rights and be involved in decision-making processes. Volunteers are individuals who donate their time and skills to help the organization achieve its goals. They may assist with events, projects, or day-to-day operations.

Additional Feedback from expert reviews focusing on your gender work; Although the applicant has developed very clear strategic project management documents such as a Theory of Change, Swot Analysis, and Risk mitigation Strategies, the proposal could benefit from concrete examples of practices to include the community of volunteers in the planning and implementation, as well as on collecting feedback from the community about how this project and programming impacts them. The applicant has developed very clear strategic project management documents such as a Theory of Change, Swot Analysis, and Risk mitigation Strategies. In their Theory of Change, the topic "Address the gender gap" includes:

1. Organize events and initiatives that focus on increasing the participation and representation of women in Wikimedia projects.
2. Amplify the voices and perspectives of women in the community and on Wikimedia projects
3. Encourage and support women to take on leadership roles and responsibilities within the community, etc.
Their program timeline includes "Women in Wiki Training" and the" Write for African Women project". The proposal would benefit from clarity on these activities. Are they content-focused? Participation focused? Leadership/governance focused? Are there other activities programmed to carry out the interventions above? Again, the proposal offers valuable strategic project management documents but would benefit from specific action plans to achieve the aimed impact and goals.As an example, engaging women and gender-diverse people from the community in the planning and implementation of the program can foster innovation and creativity, boosting communities' sustainability. Ie: working with community experts on certain topics, who can share their knowledge to 1. help the Arusha team curate the generated content lists, 2. as well as join open round tables to discuss the topic can be a good practice to achieve points 1, 2, and 3. As mentioned, the proposal offers well designed project management documents, nonetheless it could benefit from getting more specific in terms of how these documents translate while being applied to the Wikimedia ecosystem, especially regarding the targeted Wikimedia projects and knowledge content.

Responses to additional feedback from expert reviews
Thank you for your insightful feedback. We appreciate your recognition of the strategic project management documents we've developed. Your suggestions for enhancing our proposal with concrete examples of community engagement and feedback collection are important and we are working on that. Regarding our efforts to address the gender gap, we acknowledge the importance of providing clarity on activities such as the "Women in Wiki Training" and the "Write for African Women project." These initiatives aim to not only increase participation and representation of women in Wikimedia projects but also to amplify their voices and support their leadership development within the community.
To address your query about the nature of these activities, they are indeed multi-faceted and encompass content-focused, participation-focused, and leadership/governance-focused elements. For instance, the "Women in Wiki Training" aims to engage women in sharing their knowledge and experiences through writing and editing articles, while the "Write for African Women project" includes hands-on content creation workshops tailored to address topics relevant to women Your suggestion to involve community experts in the planning and implementation process is excellent. Collaborating with individuals who possess specialized knowledge can enrich our content curation efforts and facilitate meaningful discussions on relevant topics. We will explore incorporating this practice into our action plans to ensure we achieve our goals effectively.
In conclusion, while our proposal offers well-designed project management documents, we understand the importance of translating these documents into specific actions within the Wikimedia ecosystem. We are committed to providing more clarity on how our initiatives will be implemented and how they will contribute to our targeted Wikimedia projects and knowledge content. Your feedback will guide us in refining our approach to maximize our impact and achieve our goals. Thank you for your valuable input.

Training Programs Capacities

We have quite a number of members who possess the skills and capacities to assist in our training programs. Most of these members come from our training of trainers, and others come from other Wikimedia communities with whom we closely work. Here is a list with a few usernames of these members:

• CaliBen
• Idd Ninga
• Magotech
• Edward ambele
• Anuary Rajabu
• Hussein Mmbaga
• Mary calsit Mlay
• Brayson Mushi
• Christian anold mosha
• Gladys Gibbs

We sincerely appreciate the time and effort the regional committee, experts and the WMF staff dedicated to reviewing our proposal. We welcome the feedback with open arms and are eager to engage in further discussions to go deeper into the responses provided. Additionally, we remain open to exploring any opportunities that may enhance the impact of our work. Best regards, - CaliBen (talk) 23:17, 30 April 2024 (UTC)