I applied for the Africa wiki women (AWW) Leadership and Fellowship program because I was eager to gain new skills and knowledge on wikimedia space. The fellowship was designed to:

• Develop leadership skills
• Provide mentorship
• Increase visibility
• Offer real-world Experience
• Promote sustainability

My Fellowship journey

The selection process for the fellowship was competitive, but I was thrilled to be selected as a fellow. The program was structured to last for 6 months. One of the highlights of the program was when I was selected as a project assistant for the Africa wiki women technical research, focus group discussions and to facilitate trainings on Wikidata.

Skills acquired

During the fellowship, I gained new skills that involve sourcing raw qualitative research data, using Google Drive and similar tools to enhance communication and collaboration with my fellows, co-authoring documentation on Diff, and improving my confidence and editing abilities on Wikipedia and Wikidata.

Impact and outcome

The fellowship has had a significant impact on my Wikimedia and organizational work. My communication skills have improved—such as sending bulk emails to international contacts, understanding the Wikimedia mailing list, and creating Wikidata queries. I’ve also had the opportunity to collaborate with others to achieve shared goals.

Overall, my experience as a fellow was incredibly valuable. I gained new skills, made meaningful connections, and developed a deeper understanding of Wikipedia, Wikidata, management, and collaboration. I would highly recommend the Africa Wiki Women Leadership and Fellowship to anyone looking to gain new skills and knowledge within and beyond the Wikimedia space.