This page is part of the Proceedings of Wikimania 2005, Frankfurt, Germany.

How to get Wikimedia into the developing world

Author(s): Florence Devouard
License: GFDL
Language: English
Slides: {{{slides}}}
Video: {{{video}}}
Note: TBD

About the author(s):

Florence Devouard is a long-time Wikipedian and currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the WikimediaFoundation Board of Trustees.

Florence was born in Versailles (France). She grew up in Grenoble, and has been living since then in several French cities, as well as Antwerpen in Belgium and Tempe in Arizona (USA). She is a engineer in Agronomy (www.ensaia.inpl-nancy.fr) and also holds a DEA in Genetics and biotechnologies (www.inpl-nancy.fr).

She has first been working in public research, in flower plant genetic improvement, and later in microbiology to study the feasability of polluted soil bioremediation. She is currently employed in a french firm, Quantix Agro (www.quantix.com) to conceive decision-making tools in sustainable agriculture.

She joined the Wikipedia adventure in February 2002 and is known as a contributor under the pseudonym Anthere. Florence is 36, and live in Clermont Ferrand (France) with her husband Bertrand and her two children, Anne-Gaëlle aged seven and William eight.

Abstract: {{{abstract}}}

Abstract

This presentation will provide a quick overview of the digital divide in African countries, as well as their educational needs. It will estimate wikimedia projects visibility in Africa as well as african editors participation and impact. To introduce Wikimedia means to increase awareness, foster higher contribution rate and build African-language projects.

This will also explore ways through which the Wikimedia Foundation could help the projects with such an introduction.