Africa Wiki Women (AWW): IWD Inspire Inclusion Campaign 2024 Evaluation Report

The inspired IWD:Inclusion Campaign by Africa Wiki Women(AWW) aimed to engage participants, especially African women, to contribute to Wikimedia projects by addressing knowledge gaps about women while also building skills. The campaign witnessed series of training sessions and office hours throughout the months of April and May. Feedback was gathered from participants at the end of the campaign. This report summarizes data collected from participants, highlighting demographics, experiences, and overall campaign feedback. A total of 70 editors actively participated out of 102 registered participants.

Participant Demographics

The evaluation was completed by 41 participants, with a nearly equal gender split: 20 females and 21 males. Female participation was highest in the 15-25 followed by 26-35 age groups, while male participation was predominant in the 26-35 age group. Most participants hailed from Nigeria (63.41%), followed by Ghana (14.63%), Tanzania (12.2%), Rwanda, and the Congo (4.88% each).

Experience and Education

Among the participants, a majority of women had intermediate experience with at least 500 edits (26.83% out of the 48.78% women represented ), while most men were experienced Wiki editors (29.27% out of the 51.22% men represented).

COUNTA of :How would you categorize your experience in the movement?	Gender/Sex
How would you categorize your experience in the movement?	Female	Male	Grand Total
Experienced Wiki Editor	17.07%	29.27%	46.34%
Intermediate with a minimum of 500 edits	26.83%	9.76%	36.59%
Newbie (less than a year) and with no edits on any Wikimedia project	4.88%	12.20%	17.07%
Grand Total	48.78%	51.22%	100.00%

Almost all participants had tertiary education, with a significant number of women either employed or self-employed, and most men being self-employed or students.

Training Sessions and Feedback

Participants benefited significantly from various training sessions:

• Rating: The campaign met or exceeded the expectations of most participants, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5.
• Meeting Expectations: According to majority of the participants, the campaign met their expectations, while for the rest, we exceeded their expectations
  • Met expectations: 59.43% participants
  • Exceeded expectations: 38.29% participants

The Inspired Inclusion Campaign successfully engaged a diverse group of participants, predominantly young and well-educated, who were mostly experienced or intermediate Wiki editors. The majority of participants found the training sessions met or exceeded their expectations, and they felt confident in contributing to Wikimedia projects. Key aspects that enhanced the campaign experience included the training sessions and office hours. While there are some challenges in contributing to knowledge gaps about women on Wikipedia and Wikidata, overall, the campaign was well-received and positively impacted the participants’ confidence and skills.

Confidence and Challenges

Post-training, 90.24% of participants felt very confident in contributing to Wikimedia projects, compared to 40% who expressed confidence on the event registration tool. However, some challenges remain in addressing knowledge gaps about women, with participants suggesting more hands-on sessions and continuous support, resources, and references for improvement.

Recommendations for Future Campaigns

Future campaigns could build on this success by incorporating more practical in person sessions, continued engagements, and ongoing support to help participants navigate challenges and sustain their contributions to Wikimedia projects. Almost all participants said they will recommend the campaign to others.

Results and outcome: NB: While we experienced challenges with the dashboard during the campaign, articles were tracked with Google Form Submission or on the campaign meta page.

	Target	Results	Comments and tools used
Number of participants	50	102	Event registration tool: https://w.wiki/9fK6
Number of editors	50	100	outreachdashboard:https://bit.ly/3VKyUPx
Number of organizers	9	9	Event registration tool;https://w.wiki/AQ4H Event implementation team metapage:https://w.wiki/AQ3N
Wikipedia	50	12 new articles created 52 articles translated to local languages; Yoruba, Dagbani, Swahili, Hausa etc.	46 articles expanded and improved
Wikidata	200	89 items created	11 items improved

Part 2: Qualitative Data Analysis: Inspired Inclusion Campaign

The qualitative data from the Inspired Inclusion Campaign provides insights into participants’ experiences, challenges, and suggestions for future improvements. This analysis focuses on themes derived from participant feedback regarding their experiences, the effectiveness of the training sessions, and their confidence in contributing to Wikimedia projects.

Key Themes Identified

1. Overall Experience in the Campaign
   • Many participants described their experience as positive, noting that the campaign was well-organized and informative.
   • Participants appreciated the opportunity to contribute as editors and engage in various training sessions.
2. Effectiveness of Training Sessions
   • The training sessions, particularly on Wikipedia and Wikidata, were highly valued.
   • Participants reported that the training exceeded their expectations, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to contribute effectively.
   • The office hours were specifically mentioned as beneficial, offering direct support and engagement with the community.
3. Confidence in Contributing to Wikimedia Projects
   • A significant number of participants expressed high confidence in their ability to contribute to Wikimedia projects post-training.
   • The training sessions played a crucial role in boosting their confidence, with many participants highlighting their newfound skills and understanding.
4. Challenges and Areas for Improvement
   • Some participants highlighted difficulties in contributing to knowledge gaps about women on Wikipedia and Wikidata.
   • While many felt confident, a few participants still felt neutral or disagreed about their ease in contributing, suggesting areas where further support or simplified processes could help.
   • Suggestions for improvement included more hands-on sessions, follow-up training, and continuous community support, resources,, and references for women biographies .
5. Factors Enhancing the Campaign Experience
   • The structured and comprehensive training sessions were frequently mentioned as the most beneficial aspect of the campaign.
   • Community engagement and the availability of office hours were also noted as key elements that improved the overall experience.
   • Participants appreciated the supportive environment, which encouraged them to actively participate and learn.

Participant Quotes

“The training sessions were beyond my expectations. They provided me with the confidence to start editing and contributing meaningfully.”

“Office hours were incredibly helpful. Being able to ask questions in real-time made a huge difference in my understanding.“

“I feel very confident now, thanks to the detailed and interactive training sessions. I’m excited to contribute more to Wikimedia projects.”

“There are still some challenges in contributing to knowledge gaps about women, but the campaign has definitely made me more aware and prepared to tackle them.”

From your experience, what makes it difficult or easier to contribute about women?

“It can be difficult to contribute about women when there are biases, stereotypes, and discrimination that stop their voices from being heard. On the other hand, it becomes easier to contribute about women when there is a support and also inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives and promotes gender equality.”

“It is difficult because more womens are not written in many sources compared to Men’s which cause low numbers of contribution

“More information beyond the basic internet sourcing about the subject is important, and this is challenging to come by.”

“Increase awareness and attention to gender equality and inclusivity.”

“Growing availability of resources and datasets focused on women”

“I’m neutral on this because, while contributing to Wikipedia isn’t inherently difficult, it’s not a walkover either. Personally, I find it easy to create articles on Wikipedia because I understand the subtleties and the art of clear writing. However, Wikipedia has high standards, and without proper training and motivation, new editors may quickly lose interest. It’s crucial to provide sustainable support and guidance to help them navigate the challenges and nuances of editing on the platform.”

‘“It is difficult to contribute about women because most of women are not notable”

“Women articles face more deletion than men because of inadequate references”

Motivation for Future

“I so much love the community because am a woman.”

“The enthusiasm to be part of the editors to keep improving wikimedia space”

“By getting data support all the time and laptop devices,”

“New articles, motivation, and availability of mobile and internet data”

“Inclusivity and equality”

“By organizing in-person events in community, because the easiest way that we grab our community members mind is by organizing physical events”

Continue attending meetings and editing wikimedia projects

“Encouraging people to create more articles and organize more events.”

Data allowances and office hours

“Through financial motivation, and availability of mobile data“

“I can sustain my involvement by constantly contributing and engaging with the movement.“

“By giving more updates on events, organizing campaigns, reimbursing active contributors, and appreciating them.”

Conclusion

The evaluated feedback from the Inspired Inclusion Campaign revealed a generally positive experience among participants. The training sessions were particularly effective in enhancing participants’ skills and confidence on Wikimedia projects. While there are still challenges in addressing knowledge gaps about women on Wikimedia projects, the campaign successfully provided the tools and support needed for participants to make meaningful contributions. This is not going to be the last event. We hope to bring the community more exciting activities and continued engagements, as this was one of the major highlights for the community. We will also look at having some hands-on sessions and continuous support to address remaining challenges and further boost participant confidence.

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