In Africa, where women are underrepresented in most sectors of life, the open knowledge space and Wikimedia communities are no exception. However, there are notable records of women editors and volunteers who, despite all odds, have made remarkable contributions, created significant impacts, and achieved outstanding feats in the pursuit of open knowledge within the Wikimedia communities.
It is easy to give up when the “you-are-alone-in-this” syndrome hits and deflates a woman. Avoiding this occurrence led to the birth of the NominateHer campaign by the Africa Wiki Women.
The NominateHer campaign seeks to spotlight these remarkable women by unveiling their tales of conquest to Africa and the world at large. This campaign aims to motivate African women in Wikimedia, boost their morale, and, in turn, celebrate and applaud their efforts.
The NominateHer campaign is designed to celebrate these remarkable women through the nominations of editors within their communities who have experienced their impact firsthand. This approach allows community members closest to these women to bring their stories to light. In turn, Africa Wiki Women honours these women monthly, sharing their inspiring tales from their local communities with the world.
This campaign, the first of its kind, kicked off in 2024 with the nomination link shared among various Wikimedia groups. Responses were received from Wikimedians from Ghana, Rwanda, and mostly Nigeria, bearing nominees from across African countries. With pride, we present the first nominees of the Africa Wiki Women NominateHer Campaign:
- Tochi Precious: Co-founder of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group.
- Ruth Abugpoka Ayorigya: Co-founder of the Gurene Wikimedia Community.
- Rebecca Jeannette: Co-founder of the Wikimedia Community User Group Rwanda.
- Goodness: Program Coordinator of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group.
- Euphemia Uwandu: Founder of the Wikimedia Nigeria Imo State Network.
- Bukola James: Co-founder of Africa Wiki Women.
No impactful journey is without challenges and opposition, and the same applies to this campaign, which has faced the following challenges:
- A low turnout of responses from Wikimedia communities contacted with the nomination link.
- Limited sharing of the link by other Wikimedians to other communities.
- Due to their busy schedules, nominees were unable to share their stories through their preferred media.
With the help of identifying these challenges, the Africa Wiki Women NominateHer Campaign has chosen to adopt strategic measures for the distribution of the nomination link. Additionally, facilities have been put in place to ensure the availability of these remarkable women’s stories within the Wiki community.
This campaign is still a work in progress. Africa Wiki Women remains open to suggestions, ideas, and collaborations that can help the campaign reach the farthest ends of Africa, inspiring others through the stories of these exceptional women.
The journey to recognize, and celebrate countless African women making transformative contributions to their communities and beyond has just begun.
Be part of it, join us as we keep celebrating these remarkable women, and nominate one today, https://forms.gle/xZi2fK6tceXyxZ1U8

Can you help us translate this article?
In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out?
Start translation