Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/ Wikimedia Rwanda General Support fund 2023-2024
Feedback from the Middle East and Africa Regional Funding Committee on your proposal edit
Hello , Wikimedia Rwanda,
It is our hope you have been well. Thank you for submitting your application for this round of funding. We acknowledge your interest in leveraging universities to support your goals in growing the community and involving the community in closing existing knowledge gaps in the region and in Kinyarwanda Wikipedia. To support us in making decisions in the next stage of discussions please comment and respond to the following questions;
We found the proposal to be unclear in the objectives question. What is the change you are trying to bring and why is this important?
We notice a lack of volunteers in the leadership of the user group. We notice this in for example in the staff plan and paid roles and lack of indication on the role of unpaid volunteers in the implementation of the programs and operations of the user group.
There was mention of the team reporting to a program manager but we did not see the role in the team structure shared. We would like to understand more about the rationale behind the staff structure as we struggle to see how the scope of your work is commensurate with the requested staff and taking into account the importance of volunteers playing a role in the implementation of programs set.
Please clearly indicate if the staff costs are full time or part time. We find the metrics indicated to need a revision and apply pragmatism. We recommend that you align your metrics to your learning questions. For instance; what type of data will you collect to help you learn and observe progress on the learning question ; Are more women and young people using Wikimedia projects/open knowledge projects differently in their daily life, if so how or why didn't they?
We don’t see clear metrics aligning to this question for instance. Please review all other learning questions.
Seeing that this is your second annual grant application, we are curious to learn - What do you plan to change from last year's proposal?
We notice you indicated a desire to focus on capacity building and are curious on - What are you focusing on in capacity building?
We would love to have access to the report of your previous annual activities as well as the detailed expenditure of the amount that was allocated to you?
Please update your user group page with the team and board members and any other information that speaks to your governance structures.
As always we recommend meeting with the regional program officer to support you in providing any clarity needed with the feedback shared here. The committee is also available to meet and join the call if that would be meaningful for you - just let the program officer know.
Thank you so much and we continue to appreciate your work and role in advancing the mission of the movement.
On behalf of the MEA Regional Committee and staff , Azogbonon (talk) 07:01, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
In French:
Bonjour, Wikimedia Rwanda,
Nous espérons que vous allez bien. Nous vous remercions d'avoir soumis votre demande pour ce cycle de financement. Nous reconnaissons votre intérêt à tirer parti des universités pour soutenir vos objectifs de croissance de la communauté et d'implication de la communauté pour combler les lacunes existantes en matière de connaissances sur la région et sur la Wikipédia en kinyarwanda. Pour nous aider à prendre des décisions lors de la prochaine étape des discussions, veuillez commenter et répondre aux questions suivantes ;
Nous avons trouvé que la proposition n'était pas claire dans la question des objectifs. Quel est le changement que vous essayez d'apporter et pourquoi est-ce important ?
Nous constatons un manque de volontaires dans la direction du groupe d'utilisateurs. Nous le constatons par exemple dans le plan de personnel et les rôles rémunérés, ainsi que dans l'absence d'indication sur le rôle des bénévoles non rémunérés dans la mise en œuvre des programmes et des opérations du groupe d'utilisateurs.
Il a été mentionné que l'équipe rendait compte à un responsable de programme, mais nous n'avons pas vu le partage du rôle dans la structure de l'équipe.
Nous aimerions mieux comprendre le raisonnement qui sous-tend la structure du personnel, car nous avons du mal à voir comment l'étendue de votre travail est proportionnelle au personnel demandé et en tenant compte de l'importance du rôle joué par les bénévoles dans la mise en œuvre des programmes établis.
Veuillez indiquer clairement si les coûts du personnel sont à temps plein ou à temps partiel. Nous estimons que les paramètres indiqués doivent être révisés et appliqués avec pragmatisme. Nous vous recommandons d'aligner vos mesures sur vos questions d'apprentissage. Par exemple, quel type de données allez-vous collecter pour vous aider à apprendre et à observer les progrès sur la question d'apprentissage ; Est-ce que plus de femmes et de jeunes gens utilisent les projets Wikimedia/les projets de connaissance ouverte différemment dans leur vie quotidienne, si oui, comment ou pourquoi ne l'ont-ils pas fait ?
Nous ne voyons pas de métriques claires alignées sur cette question par exemple. Veuillez revoir toutes les autres questions d'apprentissage. Étant donné qu'il s'agit de votre deuxième demande de subvention annuelle, nous sommes curieux d'apprendre - Qu'avez-vous l'intention de changer par rapport à la proposition de l'année dernière ?
Nous avons remarqué que vous avez indiqué vouloir mettre l'accent sur le renforcement des capacités et nous sommes curieux de savoir - Sur quoi vous concentrez-vous en matière de renforcement des capacités ? Nous aimerions avoir accès au rapport de vos activités annuelles précédentes ainsi qu'au détail des dépenses du montant qui vous a été alloué.
Veuillez mettre à jour la page de votre groupe d'utilisateurs en indiquant les membres de l'équipe et du conseil d'administration, ainsi que toute autre information relative à vos structures de gouvernance.
Comme toujours, nous vous recommandons de rencontrer le responsable de programme régional pour vous aider à clarifier les commentaires formulés ici. Le comité est également disponible pour se réunir et se joindre à l'appel si cela s'avère utile pour vous - il suffit de le faire savoir au responsable de programme.
Nous vous remercions et continuons à apprécier votre travail et votre rôle dans l'avancement de la mission du mouvement.
Au nom du Comité régional de l'AEM et de son personnel, Azogbonon (talk) 07:01, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
RESPONSE TO GRANTS REVIEW QUESTIONS edit
Hello User:Azogbonon and the team , thanks for providing us with the feedback from the review , Pleasee find our responses :
1.We found the proposal to be unclear in the objectives question. What is the change you are trying to bring and why is this important?
Our objectives for this proposal will entail :
Objective 1: Generation of quality content
- Increase the quantity and quality of articles and media on Rwandan history, culture, and current events on Wikimedia platforms.
- Encourage more local participation in content creation and contribution to Wikimedia projects.
- Develop partnerships with local organizations to generate content and increase its relevance to local communities.
Need for Change:
- Current content on Wikimedia platforms related to Rwanda is limited and often outdated.
- Lack of local participation in content creation results in a limited perspective on Rwandan culture and history.
- Developing partnerships with local mission aligned organizations can help create relevant and accurate content
Objective 2: Volunteer Retention
- Increase volunteer retention rates by providing more opportunities for training, skill-building, and community engagement.
- Foster a culture of appreciation and recognition for volunteers' contributions.
- Develop strategies for recruiting and retaining volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
Need for Change
- Volunteers may feel unsupported or unappreciated, leading to a high turnover rate.
- The lack of diversity in volunteers can limit the range of perspectives represented on Wikimedia platforms
- Providing more opportunities for skill-building and community engagement can help volunteers feel more invested in Wikimedia projects
Objective 3: Capacity Building
- Developing knowledge management systems /Practices.
- Develop and implement training programs for volunteers on content creation, community building, and project management
- Expand outreach efforts to increase participation and access to Wikimedia platforms
- Foster partnerships with local organizations to promote free knowledge and it’s dissemination
Need for Change:
- Limited access to technology and digital literacy skills may prevent some individuals from participating in Wikimedia projects.
- A lack of training and resources can limit volunteers' ability to effectively contribute to Wikimedia platforms.
- Developing partnerships with local mission aligned organizations can help expand outreach efforts and promote digital literacy.
Objective 4: Leadership and Governance Development
- Develop and implement leadership,governance and finance management training programs for volunteers and staff
- Increase transparency and accountability in decision-making processes
- Foster partnerships with local organizations to promote ethical leadership, governance and finance management practices.
Need for Change:
- Lack of clear leadership and governance structures can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
- Limited opportunities for leadership development can prevent individuals from taking on leadership roles within the organization.
- Developing partnerships with local organizations can help promote ethical leadership and governance practices and provide resources for training and development.
We notice a lack of volunteers in the leadership of the user group. We notice this in for example in the staff plan and paid roles and lack of indication on the role of unpaid volunteers in the implementation of the programs and operations of the user group.
The following Volunteers : Uwimpuhwe Valentine,Gatete Pacifique and 4 Regional WikiClubs leaders have been identified and will participate in the implementation of this proposal and their responsibilities have been outlined, with plans for providing them with a facilitation support.The inclusion of these 6 volunteers will increase the total number of individuals involved to 10, in addition to the existing 4 staff members.
Reporting will be directed to the executive director, and it has been acknowledged that referring to the individual as a program manager was incorrect. The plan is to have one staff member working full time and the others working on a part-time basis.
3.Please clearly indicate if the staff costs are full time or part time.
Our staffing plan includes two individuals in full-time roles and two others in part-time positions.
4.We find the metrics indicated to need a revision and apply pragmatism. We recommend that you align your metrics to your learning questions. For instance; what type of data will you collect to help you learn and observe progress on the learning question ; Are more women and young people using Wikimedia projects/open knowledge projects differently in their daily life, if so how or why didn't they?.We don’t see clear metrics aligning to this question for instance. Please review all other learning questions.
5.Seeing that this is your second annual grant application, we are curious to learn - What do you plan to change from last year's proposal?
The proposal from the previous year had a primary objective of increasing awareness and generating content in Rwanda. However, during the implementation phase, there were multiple obstacles that arose, including issues with financial management, confusion surrounding governance, and difficulties in developing leadership skills and limited volunteer retention.
The proposal for this year signifies the implementation of Wikimedia Community User Group Rwanda's activities in Rwanda, now registered as an NGO named "Open Source Knowledge Rwanda." Our focus will be on enhancing capacity building, implementing sound accounting and financial management practices, developing leadership and governance, and generating high-quality content.
6.We noticed you indicated a desire to focus on capacity building and are curious on - What are you focusing on in capacity building?
Through the Capacity Building objective , we intend to focus :
- Developing knowledge management systems /Practices.
- Develop and implement training programs for volunteers on content creation, community building, and project management
- Expand outreach efforts to increase participation and access to Wikimedia platforms
- Foster partnerships with local organizations to promote free knowledge and it’s dissemination
Need for Change:
- Limited access to technology and digital literacy skills may prevent some individuals from participating in Wikimedia projects.
- A lack of training and resources can limit volunteers' ability to effectively contribute to Wikimedia platforms.
- Developing partnerships with local mission aligned organizations can help expand outreach efforts and promote digital literacy.
7.We would love to have access to the report of your previous annual activities as well as the detailed expenditure of the amount that was allocated to you?
GOOGLE SHEET LINK TO THE MIDTERM TERM FINANCIAL REPORT :
2.Metapage written report : https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/WIKIMEDIA_COMMUNITY_USER_GROUP_RWANDA_SUPPORT_GRANT_2022/2023/Midpoint_Report
Please update your user group page with the team and board members and any other information that speaks to your governance structures.
ɴᴅᴀʜɪʀᴏ ᴅᴇʀʀɪᴄᴋ 🐎 (talk) 09:50, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
Wikimedia Community Fund Approved in the amount of 30,000 USD edit
Dear,Wikimedia User Group Rwanda,
Thank you for submitting your application seeking General Support Funds - Wikimedia Community Fund. The Middle East and Africa Regional Committee and Staff have reviewed your application and approved for funding in the amount of $30,000 for the period of July 2023 - June 2024.
As shared on email - After a thorough review and discussion on your proposal and based off the information you shared with us as part of responding to feedback and questions, we make the following notes and recommendations;
- We invite you to focus on strengthening your organizational structures and process, including coordination within your teams.
- We are of the opinion that the stated programs can still be supported within the recommended budget, but with a reduced scope and strategic approach. We also see an opportunity to review your staff costs and roles.
- We recommend including time in your work plan for learning and reflection and sharing as part of developing a learning culture and while aligning with your learning, evaluation and sharing goals.
- Lastly, we recommend establishing a volunteer led advisory board to support in ensuring healthy governance. We would hope to see more volunteers taking lead including on matters related to the governance of the community.
We hope this feedback and recommendations are useful in guiding your work now and in the future. Thank you for your contribution to the movement ; we value you as a community and partner in the movement and remain committed to ensuring you are supported in your work.
On behalf of the MEA Regional Committee and staff , --Azogbonon (talk) 14:01, 29 May 2023 (UTC)