WM Botswana Annual Strategic Plan 2024

Background

The Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana aims to bridge the information gap about Botswana across diverse wiki projects. This Volunteer group seeks to promote the use of Wikimedia and its sister projects by the residents of Botswana, and to also help in creating awareness on how the everyday Botswana can contribute to the pool of free knowledge, which is Wikimedia; most especially in the translation efforts into the major local languages (Setswana).

It encourages the collection and dissemination of information about, but not exclusive to Botswana, and contributes to the creation of free and open knowledge in Botswana.

Objectives

The following are the key objectives of the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana.

To develop and support the different culture communities in Botswana.
To increase the number of new editors and the retention ratio.
To promote and increase age and gender diversity content.
Increase Participation - cultivating sustainable communities of Setswana content creators, librarians to create content about Botswana & Africa both in Setswana and English languages
To support and facilitate the sharing of knowledge in all Botswana languages
To spread awareness of the Wikimedia projects as a significant resource within universities, archives, museums and other relevant communities, and to actively engage with them
Act as a conduit between editors, writers and specialists within the community to support the growth and sustainability of high quality local content
Increasing membership of WM Botswana

Strategy & Key Activities

Community Outreach
Institutional Outreach
International Collaboration
Administration & Human Resources

Projects to support Community Outreach Initiatives

Community Outreach:

Conduct targeted outreach programs in diverse communities across Botswana to promote awareness and participation in Wikimedia projects.
Establish and activate Wikimedia clubs in schools through the School Activation/Adoption program, fostering a culture of contribution and digital literacy among students.
Organize Wiki Bootcamps to facilitate knowledge sharing, skill development, and community building among Wikimedia enthusiasts.

Wiki Loves Africa

The aim of this project is to encourage and facilitate the capturing and upload of photographs of Botswana heritage sites or monuments under free licensing. This includes encouraging those who upload media, to write about their monument of choice on Wikipedia. Through this competition we aim to not only increase the quality of photographs on Commons, but also the number of active participants.

Wiki Loves Women

This project helps to contribute quotes from notable women and quotes about notable women in Wikiquote. The programs aims to give women a voice in wikiquote as well as address online gender disparities online. We have discovered that information about women and from women is less represented as compared to man across all wiki projects hence we took this initiative.

Art & Feminism

This project helps us to create content about the under represented groups which are known as the minority groups. This project helps in closing the information gaps related to gender, feminism, and the arts across diverse wiki projects beginning with Wikipedia and its sister projects.

Setswana Wikipedia

Creating content in setswana is the core mandate of Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana. This project is designed to specifically create and improve content in Setswana across different wiki projects. The Setswana Wikipedia project is of paramount importance to the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana and the wider community due to its role in preserving cultural heritage, promoting linguistic diversity, empowering communities, encouraging local participation, and enhancing cultural representation and recognition. By creating and improving content in Setswana, the project ensures access to knowledge in the native language, fosters inclusivity, and empowers Setswana speakers to contribute to the global knowledge-sharing community. Ultimately, Setswana Wikipedia serves as a platform for the representation, recognition, and preservation of Setswana culture, history, and identity on a global scale.

School Activation/Adoption program

This is a project designed to activate Wikimedia clubs in schools. the aim of this project is to increase content creation, increase the number of editors, unearth wiki champions through the inter varsity competition as well as have stable community groups that can be easily reached. The program also seeks to identify and empower Wiki Club Champions in each school. These champions will lead planning, monitoring, training, and management efforts within their respective clubs, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and digital literacy among students.

Capacity Building: Our Capacity Building project aims to equip community members with essential skills such as leadership, event organizing, coordination, and training. By providing training in these areas, we empower individuals to become effective leaders and organizers within our community. This initiative is crucial for developing a strong team of leaders who can contribute to the success of our outreach activities, especially in areas outside the city.

Wiki Bootcamp: The Wiki Bootcamp serves as a platform for community members to come together, share experiences, evaluate programs, and discuss challenges and strategies for moving forward. Held in or around Gaborone initially, the bootcamp provides a space for collaborative learning and collective problem-solving. As our community grows, we aspire to extend these bootcamps to other regions like Francistown, where we have a significant number of active editors.
By combining Capacity Building with Wiki Bootcamp, we create a comprehensive approach to community development. Capacity Building equips individuals with the necessary skills, while Wiki Bootcamp provides a forum for ongoing learning, collaboration, and improvement. Together, these initiatives strengthen our community and contribute to our collective success in promoting free knowledge and digital literacy.

Wiki Loves Botswana

After discovering that we have so much missing content about our country in Wikipedia English and that a lot of our articles are stub articles we decided to implement a project that will help us to create and improve existing content in english. This will help us to bridge the information gap about Botswana in Wikipedia.

Projects to support Institutional Outreach Initiatives

Strategy & Key Activities:

Institutional Outreach:
- Forge strategic partnerships with educational institutions, libraries, and cultural organizations, such as the University of Botswana and Francistown Public Library, to conduct collaborative workshops and training sessions.
- Collaborate closely with Wikimedia South Africa to leverage expertise, and best practices for joint initiatives aimed at advancing our shared goals.
International Collaboration:
- Actively participate in regional and international Wikimedia events and conferences, including Wiki Indaba, Africa Baraza, Wikimania 2025 in East Africa and Earth Hub, to foster cross-cultural dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.
- Engage with other African communities and global Wikimedia partners to amplify the voices of African contributors and enhance representation on Wikimedia projects.
Projects:
- Implement flagship projects such as Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Women, and Setswana Wikipedia to encourage content creation, diversity, and inclusion across Wikimedia platforms.
- Focus on enhancing English content related to Botswana through initiatives like Wiki Loves Botswana, addressing information gaps and improving the visibility of Botswana on Wikipedia.
Capacity Building:
- Offer leadership development programs and event management training to equip community members with the necessary skills and resources to organize successful outreach activities and initiatives.
- Provide ongoing support and mentorship to emerging leaders and volunteers, nurturing a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the community.

Human Resources & Administration:

The Wikimedia Community Usergroup Botswana currently employs four part-time staff members in the following positions:

Program Coordinator
Project Facilitator
Accountant
Community Outreach Facilitator

Since the appointment of these roles in August 2023, WM Botswana has experienced a significant increase in its project portfolio. Additionally, we have successfully aligned the organization with all legislative requirements in Botswana. Moving forward, we are committed to maintaining compliance with Botswana laws and achieving Tax NGO status as stipulated by local regulations.

Daily Activities:

Our daily operations encompass various tasks and responsibilities, including but not limited to:

Conducting community outreach and engagement activities, both within the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana and in the broader community.
Managing and administering our social media platforms to disseminate information and engage with our audience effectively.
Overseeing general administration duties to ensure the smooth functioning of our organization.
Managing memberships and ensuring that our members receive the necessary support and resources.
Serving as a liaison for media and communication purposes, fostering relationships with relevant stakeholders and disseminating information about our projects and initiatives.
Facilitating project activities, including planning, coordination, and execution.
Handling financial matters, including budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting.

By maintaining a dedicated team of professionals and adhering to structured administrative processes, we aim to support the implementation of our annual strategy plan and achieve our organizational objectives effectively.

Theory of Change:

At Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana, our mission is to provide free access to the sum total of human knowledge for everyone, everywhere. We firmly believe that access to information and knowledge enhances societies and humanity at large. Therefore, we are dedicated to contributing to this goal within the contexts of Botswana and Africa.

To achieve our mission, Wikimedia Botswana implements various projects aimed at encouraging contribution, editing, and improvement of Wikipedia articles related to Botswana. Additionally, we strive to facilitate easier access to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects for people in Botswana.

Needs Assessments:

As a small Wikimedia Community User Group in Botswana, we seek to expand the reach of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects across diverse areas. Before initiating any program or project, we conduct needs assessments to ascertain the requirements. Key questions include:

How many active new editors/contributors are we targeting?
How can we enhance the credibility of Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana and foster relationships with organizations sharing similar visions?
How will our initiatives benefit small language Wikipedias?
What value will our projects bring to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects?
Are the photographs/images contributed to Commons valuable to the greater community?
How many quality articles/images will be added to Wikipedia?
Is community participation encouraged?

Evaluation Methods:

All projects undertaken by Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana are evaluated using data-driven questions, including:

Number of editors involved
Number of edit days
Number of female participants
Number of new users recruited
Number of pages created
Total number of edits made
Quality of contributions

By employing rigorous evaluation methods, we ensure that our projects align with our strategic objectives and contribute effectively to the overarching mission of Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana.

Diversity:

The Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana endeavors to conduct a diverse range of projects to maximize community participation. When selecting projects, our aim is to broaden our reach by offering a variety of activities and interests to attract new editors and contributors. We believe that this diversity not only enhances our credibility as a Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana but also raises awareness of all Wikimedia projects.

Movement Sustainability:

By aligning all projects with the strategies and targets of the Wikimedia Foundation and the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana, we promote the creation of free knowledge and media. By increasing and maximizing the number of editors and contributors in as many local languages as possible, we ensure the sustainability of several Wikimedia projects.

Potential for Impact:

We recognize WM Botswana as a crucial key player in reaching out to communities across Botswana and globally. Through various projects, we aim to expand the Botswana editor pool and engage with other communities across Africa to extend Wikimedia projects. Wikimedia Commons currently lacks adequate representation of African contributions or those of moderate to acceptable quality. Through our initiatives, we strive to enhance the value of media on Commons.

Through past events, we have enhanced our credibility as a Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana and movement. We have successfully built relationships with various institutions that share our vision of providing access to knowledge for all, free of charge.

Quality Contributions to Wikimedia Projects:

As mentioned previously, there have been no systems in place to measure the quality of content contributed to Wikimedia projects. Our first step towards introducing measures to accurately ascertain the quality of contributions involves setting minimum requirements for submissions:

The article must be suitably referenced with inline citations where necessary.
The article should comprehensively cover the topic and avoid omissions or inaccuracies.
The article must have a defined structure.
The article should be reasonably well-written.
Supporting materials should be included where appropriate.
The article must present its content in an understandable manner.

Partnerships

We have fostered valuable relationships with several institutions that have graciously granted us access to their facilities to conduct our training programs. These partnerships play a crucial role in facilitating our outreach efforts and advancing our mission of promoting free knowledge and digital literacy. The following are the institutions with which we have established partnerships:

University of Botswana
Botho University
Limkokwing University
Francistown Public Library

Wikimedia South Africa- Wikimedia South Africa (WMZA) has served as a key advisor and fiscal sponsor for Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana. They've provided invaluable guidance and support, offering insights to enhance our strategies and navigate challenges. Additionally, their fiscal sponsorship has facilitated efficient fund management, enabling us to implement projects effectively.