Research shows that less than 13% of Wikipedia contributors worldwide were women in 2008. However, there has been some increase in recent times but we need to enlighten and equip women across Africa with the necessary skills needed to contribute to Wikipedia and its sister projects.
| Women in STEM in Africa | |
|---|---|
| A WikiCred 2022 Grant Proposal | |
| Project Type | Other |
| Author | (Major Lyte) |
| Contact | akinyemimayokun34 gmail.com |
| Requested amount | 8,400 USD |
| Award amount | Unknown |
- What is your idea?
In 2020, 18% of the biography articles on English Wikipedia are of women which means there are a lot of gaps to be filled.
The aim of this project is to onboard women who will add references from reliable sources to articles and also add credible, reliable and verified information to English Wikipedia about women in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
- Why is it important?
We are attempting to bridge the knowledge gap about women in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Africa. Our overall goal is to reduce misinformation on English Wikipedia and also encourage women to contribute to English Wikipedia.
Misinformation on English Wikipedia can be as a result of the wrong use of sources that are actually correct, the use of promotion words when creating an article which is against the neutral point of view (NPOV) pillar of Wikipedia.
Encouraging women to join the movement and also reduce the systemic bias against the coverage of women and women's works on English Wikipedia.
- Link(s) to your resume or anything else (CV, GitHub, etc.) that may be relevant
https://www.linkedIn.com/in/mayokun-akinyemi
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Major_Lyte
- Is your project already in progress?
No, it is not. We are in the planning phase.
- How is this project relevant to credibility and Wikipedia?
This project is relevant to credibility and Wikipedia because it tends to reduce misinformation by providing quality references to existing articles that relate to women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics on English Wikipedia. This project will focus on training women in STEM in Africa how to edit Wikipedia and add references to English Wikipedia.
- What is the ultimate impact of this project?
Enrich the English Wikipedia articles relating to women in STEM by adding qualitative citations.
- Can your project scale?
Yes, it can be scaled with the use of some tools like xtool and outreach dashboard to track all contributions.
- Why are you the people to do it?
I, Akinyemi Mayokun have led a number of projects which were sponsored by the WMF which were aimed at bridging the content and knowledge gap and also increasing the credibility of targeted articles on English Wikipedia.
I will work with other certified and experienced editors to make this project a success.
- What is the impact of your idea on diversity and inclusiveness of the Wikimedia movement?
This project aims at encouraging women in STEM to contribute to Wikipedia and its sister projects.
- What are the challenges associated with this project and how you will overcome them?
The challenges associated with this project includes how to encourage the women editors to continue to contribute to Wikipedia after this project has been executed. However, my team and I will do a follow-up for all the participants to ensure they are still contributing to Wikipedia.
Another challenge is how to get women volunteers who are interested in contributing to Wikipedia on articles relating to women in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. My team and I would reach out to women organizations across Africa and also reach out to all the Wikimedia User Group in Africa so as to get women volunteers to participate actively during the project duration.
- How will you spend your funds?
The funds will be spent on the following: Internet subscription during the project duration for connectivity = $2500 Communications, Branding and Media promotion = $1,500 Administrative fee = $1000 Gift vouchers to encourage top editors (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th positions) = $1700 Souvenirs and swags for team members = $500 Appreciative gift for jury = $800 Miscellaneous = $400
- How long will your project take?
8 months
- Have you worked on projects for previous grants before?
Yes, I have.
These are the links to my previous grants https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/Rapid_Fund/Africa_Wiki_Challenge_2022_in_Nigeria_(ID:_21881137)
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Rapid/Major_Lyte/Wikidata_for_Tourism_in_Nigeria