Wiki Loves Women/Results and best practices 2024

Introduction

Wiki Loves Women is a key initiative by Wiki In Africa, focused on closing the content gaps about women and Africa across Wikimedia projects. Our mission has two main goals: expanding the available content on women and fostering broader community participation in contributing to Wikimedia.

This Yearly Review explores the outcomes, challenges, and a comparative analysis of the progress and hurdles from this year versus last. We invite you to join us in reflecting on our journey, learning from our experiences, and planning strategically for a more inclusive and dynamic Wikimedia community.

2024 Initiative Highlights

In 2024, Wiki Loves Women implemented three key projects—two drives and a leadership program, with some changes compared to the previous year. Each project made a significant contribution to the initiative’s overarching goals:

ISA Challenge - Tell Us About Herː Women In Art (March - April 2024)ː A special campaign used the ISA tool to add descriptions to images on WikiCommons, improving how women are shown. Held in March, this project aimed to give a clearer and fuller story to images of women in art.
Wiki Loves Women Focus Group (January - December 2024)ː The Wiki Loves Women Focus Coaching programme is a practical, mentored online training initiative aimed at supporting community leaders. It is designed to empower participants by sharing skills and knowledge, helping them create gender-equity programs within the Wikimedia and Open movements.
SheSaid campaign (October - December 2024): The SheSaid drive celebrates and honors women by increasing their representation and visibility on Wikiquote.
Inspiring Open Podcast (2024)ː to be updated

Wiki Loves Women Logo
SheSaid Logo
Focus Group Logo
Inspiring Open Logo
ISA Tell Us About Her Logo

ISA Challenge - Tell Us About Her: Women in Art (13th - March - 30th April 2024)

The ISA Challenge - Tell Us About Her: Women In Art aimed to enrich WikiCommons images with descriptions, promoting a more inclusive and global representation. This year's theme focused on pictures from the categories women artists and women in art, featuring a level 1 depth of detail. See more here.

Results

The ISA campaign resulted in

32,826 contributions
38 Contributors
8,158 Images worked on

In comparison to last year, the ISA Tell Us about Her Campaign 2024 surpassed the quality of descriptions, marking a decrease in the overall volume of image descriptions but an increase of the quality of the descriptions and a better understanding of using the tool.

Communications & Metrics

Social Media Engagement

From March 13th to April 30th, the WLW team run a social media campaign on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. A total of 18 posts on each were shared. The campaign resulted inː

33 Instagram new follows.
16.3% increase of Facebook visits.

Email Outreach

To promote the campaign,Telegram GenderGap groups and mailing lists served as effective channels for outreach.

Blogpost

The outcomes of the campaign were encapsulated in a blog post, titledː Women in Art – ISA Tell Us About Her 2024 Results which was prominently featured on the Wiki In Africa Website.

Wiki Loves Women Focus Group (January - December 2024)ː

For the fourth consecutive year, the Wiki Loves Women Focus Group continues to provide mentored online training to community leaders, empowering them to develop impactful gender-equity programs within the Wikimedia and Open movements. The program emphasizes guidance and skills transfer, enabling participants to effectively plan and implement initiatives in their respective communities.

The group's principal activities include:

Monthly Thematic Working Sessions: Facilitating targeted discussions and collaborative learning.
Active Private Telegram Group: Encouraging ongoing dialogue and support among members.
Contributions to the #SheSaid campaign 2024: Engaging in activities by hosting local events.

This year, group members have made significant changes to the leadership program by launching a new global campaign, which will be organized and managed entirely by the members themselves. Additionally, the working sessions will adopt a hands-on learning approach, enhancing engagement among participants and increasing the group's visibility within the broader community.

This initiative aims to strengthen the impact of the Wiki Loves Women movement and foster a more inclusive and equitable environment for all.

Leadership Programː Working Sessions

Date	What?	Coordinator	Topic / Guest	Explanation / Links
December 2023 - January 2024	Offline Activity	Afek	Feedback survey	In December 2023, the members answered to the annual feedback survey in purpose to improve the activities of the Focus Group. Areas for Improvement: Enhancing Individual Impact: While the individual has gained valuable skills, including venturing beyond their comfort zone and assuming a leadership role, there is a potential area for improvement in ensuring a more focused and strategic application of these skills. Future Focus: Integration of New Members: Welcoming and incorporating new members into the group. Continuous Participation in Skill-Enhancing Sessions: Consistent engagement in working sessions, specifically aimed at refining technical skills. Launch of a New Project or Campaign: The introduction of a fresh project or campaign resulting from three years of collaborative endeavors by the group.
February 14th, 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	New year plan Islahaddow	On February 14th, the Focus Group convened its inaugural working session for the year 2024. The gathering took the form of a visionary meeting, uniting all members to deliberate on the future trajectory of the Focus Group. Key topics covered during the session included: Reflection on the Highlights of 2023: Work achievements Personal milestones Participated activities Insights gained from focus sessions Aspirations for 2024: Collective goals and objectives Learning by Doing: Training initiatives Strategies for growth Formulation of policies and guidelines Knowledge-sharing sessions Project support discussions
March, 20th 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	Welcome New Members Afek	During the working session, the group welcomed the new members. There was a presentation about the focus group, detailing its members and the activities conducted in 2023 and the SheSaid campaign followed by an icebreaker discussion. The New members areː AdjoEsse Ann Wavinya Carolynseaman Yasield Ourytima Iwuala Lucy Maab Alfaky M keita1321 RebeccaRwanda Ruky Wunpini ولاء Zeinebtakouti To know more about the Wiki Loves Women Focus Group members, please visit this page.
May, 8th 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	Partnerships Islahaddow	As voted and agreed upon during the dreaming session, the Focus Group members engaged in a discussion about partnerships. Isla facilitated the session, raising several critical questions to guide the conversation: Why are partners important? What are your project needs? What are your greatest challenges? Isla then presented 18 steps to establishing a successful partnership. These steps covered essential strategies and best practices to help the group build strong, collaborative relationships with their partners, addressing the importance of shared goals, clear communication, and mutual support. The discussion provided valuable insights and practical guidance for the members to enhance their partnership efforts.
June, 21st 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	Conflict of interest Florence	During the working session, members attended a presentation by Florence Devouard on the topic of Conflict of Interest (COI). She provided an in-depth understanding of COI, explaining how to identify potential COI scenarios and offering an overview of relevant policies. Florence also discussed best practices for managing and disclosing conflicts of interest in various contexts. Following the presentation, group members participated in a showcase where they shared different COI cases they had encountered and explained how they managed those situations. This interactive session allowed for valuable insights and practical learning on navigating conflicts of interest.
July, 17th 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	Engagement issues and the Future of the FG All	During the recent online working session, members addressed key challenges related to participation, communication, and group dynamics while setting goals for the future. Low engagement was attributed to conflicting schedules, language barriers, and a lack of clear direction, with suggestions for clearer project goals and more mentorship for new members. Communication channels were deemed ineffective, prompting recommendations for more timely updates and quicker messaging platforms. Members highlighted the need for technical training and centralized resources, proposing workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions for ongoing support. While the overall group atmosphere was positive, stronger interpersonal connections and conflict resolution were encouraged, with informal check-ins and team-building activities suggested to improve collaboration. Clearer task assignments and project management tools were proposed to streamline responsibilities. Looking ahead to 2025, the group hopes to see increased participation, stronger partnerships, and a key role in advocacy, aiming to complete high-impact projects and expand their network. This session provided valuable insights for addressing current challenges and preparing for future growth. Decision takenː the Focus Group members will start planning and working on a campaign which will run in 2025.
August, 21st 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	New campaign brainstorming All	The members had their first brainstorming regarding the new campaign answering the following questionsː Purpose and Goals On which platforms are we running this campaign? What is the primary objective of this campaign? What specific outcomes do we want to achieve with this campaign? How will this campaign support Wikimedia X Women mission and values? And When? Target Audience Who is the target audience for this campaign? (Gender, Age, Location) What are the key motivations or needs of our target audience? How can we effectively reach and engage with this audience? Resources and Support What resources (time, budget, tools) are available for this campaign? How can we involve volunteers and community members in the campaign? What additional support or expertise might we need to execute the campaign? Metrics and Evaluation How will we measure the success of this campaign? What key performance indicators (KPIs) should we track? How can we gather feedback from our audience to improve future campaigns? Challenges and Risks What potential challenges or obstacles could we face during this campaign? How can we mitigate risks and ensure the campaign stays on track? Teams needed? Comms team Partnerships team Managing team Training team
September, 25th 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	New campaign planning All	The team discussed organising a year-long Wikidata campaign with monthly themes, starting in January 2025. They agreed on a bi-monthly theme change to ensure manageable workloads. The campaign will focus on African women, with a global perspective. Training sessions will be conducted both internally for the team and publicly. The team will divide into communication, management, and training groups. They will prepare by conducting Wikidata training in the remaining months of 2024. The name of the campaign is yet to be decided. Future sessions will finalise the campaign's goals and roles, and explore potential expansion to other Wikimedia projects.
October, 16th 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	New campaign planning All	The members engaged in a brainstorming session to decide on the name of the campaign, ultimately reaching a consensus through a voting process. Once the campaign name was settled, the team proceeded to define the roles and responsibilities of each group. This helped establish a clear structure and ensured that every member understood their specific contributions to the campaign’s success.
November, 20th 2024	Working Session	Afek Nonny	New campaign planning All	The management team took the initial steps in outlining the core structure and key objectives of the program. They began drafting the main framework, which included the overall goals, timelines, and strategic direction. This foundational work will guide the program’s development and implementation, ensuring a clear vision and cohesive plan.
December, 18th 2024	Working Session & End of the year party	Afek Nonny	Updates and celebrations All	During the final working sessions, each team provided updates on their progress and shared the next steps for the upcoming campaign. The management team presented a draft of the new Wiki Otto campaign, outlining key objectives and strategies. The training team shared the results of the survey sent to members to gather insights on their learning needs, in preparation for the first edition of Wiki Otto. After the sessions, the team celebrated the end of the year with a fun game and captured a group photo to commemorate the occasion.

Results

The addition of 12 new members joined the group to attend 28 women from 13 African countries (Botswana, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwae, Kenya, Cameroun, Rwanda, Tunisia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal) and France. See all members here.

This year, a total of 12 working sessions were hosted as part of the project. See all Working Sessions here.

Blogposts

Celebrating Three Years of Empowerment: The Focus Group’s Journey!

Lessons Learned

Challenges:

Language differences posed a challenge, making communication and collaboration more complex for some members.
As the group continues to expand, varying time zones have become an issue, leading to the absence of some members and a decrease in their level of involvement.
The previous structure of the group contributed to a lack of engagement, which in turn hindered collaboration among members, making it more difficult to work effectively together.

Solutions implemented

To overcome language differences, we initiated translations during the working sessions with the support of bilingual members. This approach ensured better communication and inclusivity for all participants, regardless of their language proficiency.
To tackle the issue of engagement, we revamped the group's concept, shifting to a "learning by practicing" model. This new structure encouraged more active collaboration among members and enhanced communication, fostering a more dynamic and participatory environment.

Feedback Survey

100% of the members are still interested in actively participating in the Wiki Loves Women Focus Group.
On a scale of 1 to 5, 40% of the members rated the group's impact on their skills as a 5, while 60% rated it as a 4, indicating a strong positive effect on their development.
On a scale of 1 to 5, 40% of members rated the impact of their involvement as a 5, indicating a high level of personal and professional growth. Another 40% rated it as a 4, suggesting strong positive development. The remaining 20% rated the impact as a 3, reflecting moderate improvement.

The responses from members indicate significant personal and professional growth as a result of their involvement in Wikimedia projects:

Many members expressed pride in the collective achievements of the team, even if they were not directly involved in specific initiatives, such as the SheSaid campaign.
Participants reported an improvement in their communication skills, particularly in engaging with diverse cultures, highlighting the global reach of Wikimedia work.
Leadership experience gained from initiatives like Wiki Loves Women has proven valuable for some, allowing them to lead communities with more confidence.
Skills such as grant writing, content editing (e.g., Wikiquote), and report writing have noticeably improved, demonstrating the practical benefits of participation in Wikimedia activities.
A few members noted they could not immediately think of a specific example but acknowledged the overall influence of their involvement.

Inspiring quotes from the members

"What I like the most about the group is the affirmation that we as women can work together and in harmony. Having access to support from Wiki in Africa and the telegram group where i can ask question and reach out to the group."
"I like the Group dynamics and the Perpetual way of thinking about each member's commitment."
"Personally it kept me in the mood of giving thought a very tough year . Professionally it helped me keep looking forward to improve my skills and continue beeing engaged ."

The #SheSaid campaign (1st September - 31st December 2024)

The #SheSaid drive, a part of Wiki Loves Women, boosts the visibility of women leaders by creating and improving Wikiquote entries about them. Since its launch in October 2020, the campaign has achieved significant success, resulting in more than 15,555 new or improved articles in 18 languages.

This year, the 5th edition ran from September 1st to December 31st, 2024.

Resultsː

4 Office hours hosted in 2 languages (French and English)ː
- 1 Office hour for the Focus Group members,
- The launch to present the guide lines
- 2 office hours about How to track results?

14 grant applications (23 Rapid grants and 1 micro financement WikiFranca) have been submitted and 12 were approved.
4 new languages joined the campaign in 2024.

22 Wikiquote language projects impacted.
16 national, regional or theme-focused teams (usergroups or volunteer groups) participated in.

The 2024th edition resulted in 11 029 new or improved articles (10,091 new and 938 improved) across 22 languages as followingː

(See all queries here)


Language	New Articles	Improuved Aricles
SheSaid on the Arabic Wikiquote	388	4
SheSaid on the Assamese Wikiquote	0	0
SheSaid on the Bengali Wikiquote	15	11
SheSaid on the Catalan Wikiquote	0	0
SheSaid on the Central Bikol (bcl)	1	1
SheSaid on the Tagalog (tl) Wikiquote	128	102
SheSaid on the Dutch Wikiquote	28	5
SheSaid on the English Wikiquote	1 186	406
SheSaid on the Fante Wikiquote (Incubator)	629
SheSaid on the French Wikiquote	730	219
SheSaid on the German Wikiquote	5	5
SheSaid on the Gungbe Wikiquote	41	0
SheSaid on the Hausa Wikiquote (Incubator)	1 921
SheSaid on the Igbo Wikiquote	1 288	148
SheSaid on the Italian Wikiquote	295	13
SheSaid on the Serbian Wikiquote	66	9
Setswana Wikiquote (Incubator):	3 039
SheSaid on the Slovene Wikiquote	0	0
SheSaid on the Spanish Wikiquote	32	5
SheSaid on the Swahili Wikiquote	0	0
SheSaid on the Telugu Wikiquote	128
SheSaid on the Ukrainian Wikiquote	110	9

SheSaid 2024 in Senegal
SheSaid 2024 in RDC
SheSaid 2024 in Chad
SheSaid 2024 in Nigeria
SheSaid 2024 in Netherlands
SheSaid 2024 in the Philippines

Communications & Metrics

To enhance engagement within participating communities, the WLW team crafted bookmarks, social media visuals, and postcards. Explore more details here. Link to the category #SheSaid 2024 visuals

Social Media Engagement

From September 1st to December 31st, the WLW team run a social media campaign on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. A total of 30 posts on each were shared. The campaign resulted inː

4.4K views
10K Reach (819.2% increase)
628 visits
58 follows (625 % increase)

Email Outreach

To promote the campaign,Telegram GenderGap groups and mailing lists served as effective channels for outreach.

Blogposts

The outcomes of the campaign were encapsulated in the following blog postsː

Conferences

The #SheSaid campaign was showcased at two conferences:

Wikiconvention Francophone 2024 (to be coming)
WikiArabia 2024

Challenges & Lessons Learned

Challenges during this edition of the SheSaid campaign include

Confusion in the Rapid Grants Roundsː The changes introduced to the structure of the sixth and seventh rounds of the rapid grants caused significant confusion among participants.
Decline in Language Participationː Some languages that had been part of the initiative in previous years were unable to participate this year.
Challenges in Tracking Resultsː Tracking results has remained a persistent challenge over the years. This year, a significant issue was the use of the designated hashtag, #SheSaid, in different languages.

Solutions implemented

Clearer communication and guidelines were provided mid-round to help participants navigate the process. Additionally, feedback was collected from affected groups to refine future rounds of rapid grants.
Focused communication with local organizers was implemented to address barriers and provide tailored support.
To improve tracking, lists were created by most participating communities, allowing for better organization and monitoring of contributions. This approach made it easier to collect and analyze data, even when hashtags were inconsistently applied.

Organizers Feedback survey

Participationː
- 33% of the local organizers who answered, orginized the campaign for the first time.
- 11.1% are involved since 2020.
- 55.6% are involved since 2023.
Communicationsː
- 44.4% of the local organizers who answered, heared about the campaign from their communities.
- 22.2% from meta.
- 11.1% from Diff.
- 11.1% from conferences and presentations.
Local eventsː
- 77.8% of the local organizers who answered, orginized several local events.
- 22.8% organized only one event.
Partnershipsː
- 44.4% of the local organizers who answered, collaborated with external partners.
Futureː
- 66.7% of the local organizers who answered, will join the next edition.

Inspiring quotes from the organizers

"Just to say that cordoning off the SheSaid campaign in my community has been such a meaningful experience in my life. It helped improve my skills and experience as well."
"It was a great experience. I am really proud and grateful for the opportunity of being part of this amazing journey, and will give my all in achieving the positive aims of these campaign."
"It’s been a wonderful and impactful experience for the organizers this year improving on what we did last year. We made sure to correct all lapses from the previous campaign."

Successful Strategies

Utilizing Existing Resources for Trainingː Existing resources, such as YouTube recordings of previous training sessions, were effectively leveraged. These recordings provided accessible, on-demand guidance for participants and organizers, reducing the need for repetitive live training sessions.
Creation of a Telegram Group for Organizersː A dedicated Telegram group was established for organizers, creating a space for real-time communication, experience sharing, and direct support. This platform proved invaluable for fostering collaboration and addressing challenges quickly.
Adaptation of Communications Materialsː Pre-designed communication materials were provided to participating communities. These materials were easily adapted to meet local needs, enabling better engagement and consistent messaging across diverse regions.
Presentations During Conferencesː Presentations conducted during conferences played a crucial role in promoting the campaign, building awareness, and encouraging participation. These sessions provided a platform to showcase successes, share best practices, and inspire new contributors.
Interviews Published on Diffː Interviews with participants and organizers, published on Diff, proved to be an effective strategy for amplifying the campaign's reach. These stories highlighted individual and community contributions, celebrated successes, and inspired others to join. By sharing real-life experiences and insights, the interviews created a sense of connection and motivation among existing and potential contributors.

The External Impact of Wiki Loves Women

As part of the global gender gap community, the Wiki Loves Women (WLW) initiative not only runs its own projects but also actively participates in various global events that align with its mission of closing the gender gap. In 2024, WLW took part in several key events:

The Wiki Loves Women initiative was featured in a special edition of WikiAfrica Hour, a three-part series dedicated to highlighting efforts aimed at bridging the gender gap within the Wikimedia movement, including some work within education. This event, held in celebration of International Women’s Day, showcased key projects contributing to gender equality on Wikimedia platforms. The session was hosted by Nigerian Wikimedian Tochi Precious, who led the discussions and celebrated the impactful work being done to uplift women’s voices and representation in the Wikimedia community.
WikiWomen Summit at Wikimania 2024
WikiWomen Launch at Wiki Indaba 2024
WikiWomen Summit at WikiArabia 2024

The #SheSaid campaign will take part in the Art+Feminism programme on the 8th of March 2025.