Wikidata 2025 Botswana

Overview

The Wikidata BW 2025 Training & Contest was a capacity-building initiative designed to introduce and enhance Wikidata editing skills among contributors in Botswana. Organized by Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana, the event provided training, hands-on practice, and a competition to apply newly acquired skills. The event was facilitated by Candy Tricia Khohliwe, with special training support from Mark Lapang of Wikimedia Nigeria, who played a key role in empowering the Botswana community with Wikidata knowledge.

Event Details

Date: 18th January 2025 and 25 January 2025
Time: 10 AM (GMT +2)
Venue: Online sessions
Organized by: Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana
Facilitators: Shoodho (talk) 00:17, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Target Audience: Learners, youth and contributors (beginner to advanced levels)
Sessions: Regular One on One session for those who need support editing/clarity

Training Sessions

1. Introduction to Wikidata (Facilitated by Candy Tricia Khohliwe)

This online session introduced participants to Wikidata, covering:

Understanding structured data and its role in Wikimedia projects
How Wikidata enhances Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and other platforms
Basics of creating and editing Wikidata items
Practical session: Hands-on editing exercises

2. Advanced Wikidata Editing & Competition (Facilitated by Mark Lapang)

This second online session focused on improving the technical skills of contributors:

Understanding properties, constraints, and relationships in Wikidata
Automating edits with tools such as QuickStatements
Running the Wikidata BW 2025 Contest where participants applied their knowledge to edit and improve Botswana-related data

Contest Details & Prizes

The contest ran parallel to the training, allowing participants to put their skills to the test. Winners were awarded as follows:

1st Place: P2000:* Chandapiwa Malema
2nd Place: P1500 :* MmaBaggio
3rd Place: P1000:* Deborah Tjituka

Outcomes & Impact

31 participants trained in Wikidata editing
Strengthened the Botswana Wikidata community through hands-on engagement
Enhanced knowledge on data structuring and querying for Wikimedia projects
Established future collaborations between Botswana and Nigerian Wikimedia communities

Statistics & Achievements

Impact Statistics from Outreach Dashboard:

2.75K Articles Created
3.32K Articles Edited
28K Total Edits
31 Editors Participated

Social Media Channels

Facebook Page: Wikimedia Botswana Community Usergroup
YouTube: Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana