Internet support for Wikimedians in India
Internet support for Wikimedians in India
01-06-2021 to 20-08-2021
Internet Support for Wikimedians in India is a CIS-A2K program to help Wikimedians who have been proactively contributing to Wikimedia projects and have given their valuable time towards the growth of the movement in India. Through this program, A2K will provide support towards internet access to enable community members to easily edit Wiki projects and contribute on various Wikimedia Projects.
Background
[edit]Since 2018, Google and Wikimedia Foundation have been collaborating on project which is called Project Tiger or Growing Local Language Content on Wikipedia. Until now, two iterations have been successfully completed.In 2020-2021 India faced COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple lockdowns and restrictions on public events and gatherings. The situation remains grim even now with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we have been unable to plan on-ground, in-person events as well as long-term online events or activities.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, community members in India, including ourselves are facing fatigue and stress. All areas of life have been affected, be it education, employment or healthcare. The large-scale shift to remote work in all areas, and resulting strain on infrastructure and financial conditions have also led to difficulties in accessing stable internet. For editing Wikimedia projects internet is a primary component. Wikimedians need some kind of support, especially good internet connectivity for editing wiki projects. WMF and CIS-A2K have therefore decided to start providing internet support to volunteers under Project Tiger 3.0. Given the present circumstances, we are not starting a long edit-a-thon or contest for a while. This is a small start to encourage Wikimedians and help them to get support to continue their work.
Timeline
[edit]- The internet support applications will start from 1 June 2021
- Application period will be end by 31 August 2021
Criteria & rules
[edit]Who can apply?
Wikimedians who contribute or would like to edit or work on Wikimedia projects can apply for internet support.
Criteria
Any Wikimedian who meets the following criteria can apply for the support:
- At least 500 edits on any Wikimedia project till 30 April 2021. Or any wiki activities between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2021
- No active block on any project.
- This support is not under any kind of contest or edit-a-thon. However, this support is given in the spirit of significantly improving each individual's capacity to contribute more actively. This is support is available only for those who cannot access internet due to the current situation.
- Any Indian language community or Wikimedian can receive equal and proportionate support. Only residents of India are eligible to receive support as per the scope and mandate of the grant.
Application procedure
[edit]- Applications may be submitted through this page. Those who wish to apply may go to Request for support.
- A Committee will review the applications and will try to respond within 3-4 days.
- The Committee's response will depend solely on the applications.
- The process of applying and accepting applications will open for two months.
- All rules must be followed by applicants in the application process, including responding to questions on the form.
- After reviewing the application, A2K will reach out to applicants on email or phone as indicated.
- The Committee has rights to provide Special Support to any volunteer apart from the given criteria.
- If volunteers do not wish to apply openly or on Meta for reasons of privacy then they can email tito
cis-india.org or niteshcis-india.org.
Committee members
[edit]Request for support
[edit]The request process is closed we are not taking requests at this moment.
Requests
[edit]These are the requests received until 17:32 Hrs UTC, Wednesday December 25, 2024.
Open requests
[edit]There are 3 open requests until the current hour.
Draft requests
[edit]There are 2 open requests until the current hour.
Accepted requests
[edit]There are 53 open requests until the current hour.
Not-accepted requests
[edit]There are 4 open requests until the current hour.
withdrawal requests
[edit]There are 1 open requests until the current hour.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
[edit]1. What type of support is A2K providing? and Is there any maximum cap for the recharge amount?
Answer: A2K is is offering internet support to Indian Wikimedians by covering expenses on data packages. The support will be for three months. Also, the amount should be according to the time period.
2. Can you give Internet support outside India?
Answer: No. We can not provide Internet support outside India due to logistical issues.
3. I have recharged my Internet last month, can you reimburse me for it?
Answer: Yes, but the Internet support committee will review your application and they will decide after their process. Request for reimbursement of data packs recharged earlier than 15 days will not be accepted.
4. I already have an active subscription, can I apply for a booster pack?
Answer: Yes, you can apply for a booster pack, please share reasons for applying for the same.
5. Can you help me to purchase a dongle?Or Can you give me Wifi or a wired connection?
Answer: Yes, we can provide you with the requisite support.
6. Can you give recharge money in advance?
Answer: No, we will only reimburse costs, or you can contact us for internet recharge directly.
7. How do I send a receipt or invoice for reimbursement?
Answer: For downloading the receipt or invoice you have to open your Internet Service Provider app and click Show transaction history or Orders and Bookings.
8. How many days will it take to process the reimbursement?
Answer: It will take 7 to 10 days but we will try to do it as soon as possible.
9. How will you send the money to reimburse the amount (bank transfer, GooglePay, Paytm etc.)
Answer: We will try to send money according to the recipient's choice.
10. Will you continue the program after August 2021?
Answer: It depends on the number of applications and the Internet support committee's decision.
11. Can I get any other support apart from Internet support (Access to resources etc.)?
Answer: Yes, you may request other forms of support, such as resources related to the pandemic at COVID-19 support. For any other form of support please request on the CIS-A2K request page.
12. I do not have any digital invoice or I have lost the bill, what should I do?
Answer: If you are facing any issue regarding generating bills or invoices then you can share your problem with the Internet support committee.
13. Can I nominate other Wikimedians for this support?
Answer: No, you can not nominate other Wikimedians by yourself. You can inform your fellow Wikimedians about this support. Please ask them to apply on the same page if needed.