The Wiki Loves Women Project is looking for four Wikipedians in Residence.

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Wiki Loves Women is a multi-country, multi-faceted project that aims at encouraging the contribution of content that celebrates the influence of women leaders, and reflects the realities faced by women and girls across Africa. The Wikipedians in Residence will work with content organisations to contribute freely-licensed information, texts, images and media to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Wiki Loves Women was initiated by the WikiAfrica project in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut.

In 2016, the Wiki Loves Women project will be activated in four countries, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut. More information may be found about the project at www.wikiloveswomen.org

Why Wiki Loves Women

Gender inequality is rife across sub-saharan Africa. Although much progress has been made to address these inequalities in the workplace and within society, there remains a systemic bias towards profiling women, especially with regards to information, news and knowledge sources, both online and offline. The project focuses on bridging two significant gaps on Wikimedia projects – women and Africa – both in terms of content about these subjects and in terms of participation by people from these groups.

The gender gap has long been known to exist in computer-related occupations, and indeed the Wikimedia community was aware of this issue from the very early days. The first large-scale publication that attempted to quantify the gap was a survey conducted by the United Nations University and published in March 2010. The study of Wikipedia’s contributor base showed that it has barely 13 percent women.

The position

The Wiki Loves Women initiative is calling for applications from enthusiastic candidates across sub-Saharan Africa to drive the project in their home countries. The Wikipedians in Residence will be responsible for identifying key content partners, engaging their participation in the project and ensuring that their stakeholders and staff are involved in and contributing to the project. In addition, the Wikipedian in Residence will work with existing and new Wikipedians to assist with the transfer and integration of content from partners onto the different Wikimedia projects. This contribution will be facilitated through regular editing and contribution events at the Goethe-Institut.

The Wikipedian in Residence will work, in collaboration with the Goethe Institut and the local Wikimedia volunteer groups to ensure growth of the local community and ensure their participation the project’s events.

Residence in the country of operation is mandatory, as is travel for a maximum of 2 weeks to attend an #OpenAfrica16 course in Johannesburg, South Africa (March/April 2016). Additional travel opportunities may arise from within the Wikimedia projects to conferences such as WikiIndaba, GLAM WIKI and Wikimania.

About the position

Expectations: the successful candidate will be involved in the following:

  • Research issues affecting women and gender equality, and the support structures and organisations operating within their country,
  • Identify, solicit and liaise with civil society organisations, NGOs and public institutions as partners to contribute to the project,
  • Compile data on the identified partners, communities and countries
  • Negotiate the correct licensing with identified partners to facilitate integration within the Wikimedia projects,
  • Ensure the transfer of all identified content from the partnering organisations and groups onto and integrated within Wikimedia projects,
  • Use the work of integrating content as an opportunity for outreach, training and publicity,
  • Organise and manage community events, competitions, workshops, contribution parties and conferences,
  • Work with local Wikimedia volunteers to support the project and expand their volunteer base,
  • Evaluate and compile reports and metrics on all events, competitions, workshops, mapping parties, and conferences,
  • Complete weekly project reports, and monthly evaluations as well as contribute to the project’s overall review and audit, and
  • Contribute content to the Wiki Loves Women website/s and social media sites.

Work schedule:

  • 5 day week; one year contract

Work-space:

  • Training location: Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Goethe-Institut in country of residence

Eligible candidates should be

  • Experience of the Wikimedia and proven dedication to the Open Movement (Creative Commons, Open Education Resources, Open Street Map project, etc.),
  • Fluent in either English or French,
  • Experienced in community building and activation,
  • Living in a country that has an active Goethe-Institut,
  • Have a university degree graduate or hold relative diploma,
  • Highly organised and flexible,
  • Presentable and able to speak to a range of individuals from top government officials to heads of business,
  • Must be self-directed and able to complete projects with limited supervision,
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, comfortable writing articles,
  • Able to display online savvy and be proficient in Social Media. Proficiency with Google Drive, and
  • Fully computer literate (proficient with Word, Excel, Outlook Express and ideally some open source equivalents).

Advantageous traits

  • Is energetic and proactive
  • Is an implementer, and is able to find solutions
  • Has the ability to see the bigger picture
  • Has experienced in motivating, managing and/or working with volunteers
  • Fluent in both English and French
  • Passionate about Africa’s voice in the world.

How to apply:

Interested persons should apply by 22nd February 2016.

Your application should include:

  • A cover letter with a motivation
  • Your Wikimedia username and a list of the 5 contributions to Wikimedia projects that you are the most proud of.
  • Your CV (2 pages max.)

Should you not receive any response by the 29th February 2016 please consider your application unsuccessful.

Contact details:

  • Isla Haddow-Flood and Florence Devouard
  • Email:  apply [at] wikiloveswomen [dot] org

About the Goethe-Institut

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany’s cultural, social and political life. The Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg regulates the work in the Sub-Saharan countries. Its activities in this region have a special focus on strengthening the pan-African dialogue, and on promoting mobile access to information and education. For more information, visit www.goethe.de/johannesburg

About WikiAfrica

WikiAfrica is an international collaborative project that has been variously housed at the Africa Centre in Cape Town, South Africa and Lettera27 in Milan, Italy, and additional independent projects across the African continent. The project collaborates on an array of initiatives that activate and support Wikimedia volunteer communities and encourages the release of African content from organisations onto Wikipedia. One of its main projects is the Wiki Loves Africa competition that runs every October and November across Africa (and beyond). In 2016 it launched Wiki Loves Women with the Goethe-Institut. View WikiAfrica on Meta.