Reflecting on My First Half of 2026 with Africa Wiki Women: Growth, Partnerships, and Impact

With the start of the new year, 2026, and my acceptance of the responsibility to continue leading the EditHer Africa Contest, which was birthed the previous year, as well as my role in Partnerships at Africa Wiki Women, I knew it would be a year of service and learning. What I did not fully anticipate was just how transformative the journey would be not only for the communities we worked with, but also for me personally.

Over the last six months and beyond, I have had the privilege of working alongside an incredible network of volunteers, organisers, partners, and community members who share a common vision: ensuring that African women’s stories are visible, documented, and accessible through various Wikimedia projects.

Turning Passion into Measurable Impact

One of the highlights of this year’s first half has been coordinating, brainstorming, and implementing strategies for the success of each edition of the EditHer 2026 campaign (the January and April editions), alongside the Africa Wiki Women’s International Women’s Day 2026 celebration campaign, Give to Gain 2026.

Each edit-a-thon, training session, in-person event, and community engagement reminded me that behind every metric is a person choosing to contribute her quota to free knowledge. Coordinating these activities also strengthened my program organisation and implementation skills. These campaigns brought together participants from across various African communities, many of whom were first-time contributors. Watching new editors create their first article, improve existing content, or confidently navigate Wikimedia projects for the first time has been deeply rewarding.

Beyond the metrics, what stays with me is the sense of fulfilment born from the many impact stories, from the excitement of a participant whose article was successfully published for the first time, to the determination of editors who continued contributing long after the campaigns ended, and the sense of community built across African borders through our in-person events.

Building Partnerships, Sustaining Meaningful Relationships

Leading partnerships for the Africa Wiki Women has been one of the most enriching aspects of my role. 

Over the last months of the year, I engaged with affiliates, user groups, institutions, and mission-aligned organisations to explore opportunities for collaboration. And the greatest lesson from this responsibility has been understanding the need for partnerships, their sustainability and impact.

This role has significantly strengthened my relational and interpersonal skills. I have learned how to communicate more intentionally, listen actively, nurture professional relationships, and engage diverse stakeholders with empathy and respect.

I have also become more confident in initiating conversations, sustaining collaborations, and finding common ground between organisations with different perspectives but shared goals. Every meeting, email exchange, and collaborative discussion has taught me that meaningful partnerships thrive on trust, consistency, transparency, and mutual value.

As someone who naturally enjoys working behind the scenes and ensuring the success of our campaign (EditHer Africa), stepping into a role that required frequent engagement and relationship-building challenged me in the best possible way. It pushed me beyond my comfort zone and helped me grow into a more confident community leader. 

What Lies Ahead

As I look ahead, I remain hopeful, excited, and motivated to continue contributing to the Wikimedia movement and the work of advancing knowledge equity.

I look forward to continued learning of how to build partnerships and champion the visibility of the content of African women and Africa through the application of my program design and implementation skills.