Grants talk:Project/Ammarpad & DonCamillo/Outreach in Northern Nigeria/Finances

Follow up questions about budget change request

Dear Ammarpad,

You will see at the top of your finances tab that I have filled in your budget table with the original proposed budget that was approved for funding. I have also attempted to fill in the "Actual funds spent" column of your table with the expenses that you listed in your Midpoint Report, and your remaining funds in the "Difference" column. Can you please take a look at the table and review it for accuracy? If it is not accurate, please update it so that it is.

As I understand it, your budget change request seeks to reallocate the $1,500 in funds originally allocated for "Travels for one non-Nigerian experienced Wikimedia editor based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia", for DonCamillo. My understanding is that DonCamillo is no longer able to support the project because he is currently abroad, making it impractical for him to come to Nigeria. Consequently, you are requesting to:

• reallocate $535.94 for Olaniyan_Olushola to travel to Kano to support the first workshop
• reallocate $549.01 for a user from Wikimedia User Group Nigeria to travel to support the second workshop
• reallocate $415.05 for "Miscallenous printing and contingency"

Again, can you please confirm I've understood your request correctly? If I've understood anything incorrectly, please let me know.

If this is all correct, here are my questions:

• Your original budget included a total of two trips to Northern Nigeria to support your project (one from the experienced editor based in Katsina and Zaria for $600, and one from DonCamillo for $1,500). Your proposed changes seem to request a total of three trips, rather than only two (the one originally proposed for the experienced editor based in Katsina and Zaria, the two you are now proposing to replace DonCamillo's trip--the first for Shola to come to support Workshop 1 and the second for a user from Wikimedia User Group Nigeria to travel to support Workshop 2. Can you say why you think an additional third trip is needed, rather than only the two originally proposed?
• For Workshop 2, will Shola also be traveling to support you, as with Workshop 1, or will it be another user?
• Where will the second workshop be located? Will it be a follow-up workshop with the same group of people from Workshop 1? Or will it be in a separate location, for a different target audience?
• You asked to reallocate $415.05 for "Miscallenous printing and contingency." In your original budget, you allowed for $500 for outreach ($250 for each workshop) as part of the $2,500 allocated for workshop costs. You still have $2,412 remaining in your budget for workshop expenses at present. Can you tell me why the additional $415.05 is still needed?

Thank you for this additional feedback, Ammarpad.

In general, I can tell you that it is perfectly fine to use the funds allocated for DonCamillo to bring another experienced Wikimedian in to support you. I just want to get clear about your request before I approve it.

Thanks for all your work,

--Marti (WMF) (talk) 02:19, 10 January 2019 (UTC)

Answers

Thank you @Marti: Here are my answers to your questions:

1. Expenses table.

• I have updated the table now. Our first program already took place on 28 and 29th December 2018. Holidays period crossed and I wanted for this to be approved so I can update the Midpoint and event's reports as well as the documentations.

2. [C]an you please confirm I've understood your request correctly?

• You're correct on your understanding of the request. However, I may add that DonCamillo still supports the Project and he did participated via Skype in our last program. He will no longer come to Nigeria, is true and that's why we are requesting re-allocation of funds earlier approved for his travel.

3. Can you say why you think an additional third trip is needed, rather than only the two originally proposed?

• Though the trips seems to be three now, they're still essentially two. The previous arrangements with DonCamillo was that, he would stay in Nigeria for a reasonable time for the two events to take place. There was logistics issue in this thought and is one of the issues that contributed in delaying the programs amid shifting dates. It's actually impractical to hold the programs in such short time for the guest to stay until the two programs hold. Dealing with different audiences in two different states and different universities' stakeholders at least require a week apart, and even then looking for 'the ideal week for all' proved difficult to find.

• So, I can say we still have two trips: 1. trip of one user based in Katsina (Me, Ammarpad) and, 2. trip of one user from National Usergroup. Since it's impractical for the user from National Usergroup (in this case, Olaniyan Olushola) to stay for almost a month for both programs to take place before they return home, that necessitated segmenting the trip into two parts, one for first program, another for the second.

4. For Workshop 2, will Shola also be traveling to support you, as with Workshop 1, or will it be another user?

• Ideally, Shola is the one to come. But I didn't use his name directly so we can have room for easy adjustment so as to prevent recurrence of one of the problem that delayed our program. The problem --as I partly explained above-- was that we have DonCamillo who will come to Nigeria and we have to arrange two programs in a two different states which are wide apart and co-ordinate with two audiences and stakeholders from each state and all in an ideal time for all. And our time has to be reasonably short, so DonCamillo can stay throughout. It proved difficult to find, and we kept shifting dates in search for that ideal time. When it's okay for Kano, you find it's not for Kaduna, and when it's ok for Kaduna it's not for Kano. Even though, arranging the programs like 10 days apart might be ideal for both audiences, we figured that will be stressing for DonCamillo who will accommodate and feed himself throughout and needed to do that for as few days as practical.

• So, now in the second program, we need to have flexibility, if Shola isn't able to participate since he travels a lot or for any other reason, he'll be easily substituted with another user from Wikimedia User Group Nigeria without altering the event's date. However, whoever will come, the Foundation will be informed in advance.

5.Where will the second workshop be located?

• This was initially in Kaduna, but after the consultations we decided to move it to Katsina where I am now living. The events ideally should have been held before the end of November 2018 which was the time I left Zaria, in Kaduna state, however we were unable to do that. Also the the ongoing strike action by universities' academic staff hampered our plans and obstructed official communication. The strike started since November 4 and has no end in sight. We discussed the Katsina venue during Kano's post-event discussion in December 2018. Also we have already consulted the University in Katsina of our plan since October and carried out a preliminary session as part of the outreach with support from Soho Foundation.

6. Will it be a follow-up workshop with the same group of people from Workshop 1? Or will it be in a separate location, for a different target audience?

• No, it's not a follow-up and the audience are entirely new in a different location, as explained above in answer number 5.

7. You asked to reallocate $415.05 for "Miscallenous printing and contingency." In your original budget, you allowed for $500 for outreach ($250 for each workshop) as part of the $2,500 allocated for workshop costs. You still have $2,412 remaining in your budget for workshop expenses at present. Can you tell me why the additional $415.05 is still needed?

• The outreach fund earlier allocated was actually for reaching out to the stakeholders involved, media and pre-program logistics, as it is not possible to co-ordinate all these activities by me via only phone call. After establishing necessary contacts, later I had to I actually travel to each location to speak one-on-one to the people I want to be involved, demonstrate to them what we are planning to do and discuss strategies of making it successful. Also as the Foundation is already aware, this is not within one state.

• These places include Kano state, where I met staff of Bayero University, Kano, Kaduna State University in Kaduna and Umaru Musa Yar'adua University in Katsina, as well as two organizations Center for Information Technology and Development in Kano and Soho Foundation which is based in Katsina. I started writing about these consultations at Midpoint#Methods and activities a week after the second Kano meeting in November 2018.