The Wiki Loves Women Focus coaching program is a practical, action-oriented, mentored online training program facilitated by mentors. It aims to provide skills and knowledge specifically designed to support community leaders in creating programs and initiatives for gender equity within the Wikimedia and Open movements. The Focus coaching program will provide insights, guidance, skill transfers, and mentoring to help each member of the working group plan a gender equity program within their community and gather the resources and skills needed to implement this program.
The Wiki Loves Women Focus Group was initially formed in 2021 and comprised 12 women representing 8 African countries (Botswana, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Cameroon, and Rwanda), as well as France. In 2022, the group welcomed two new members from South Africa and Tunisia, expanding its composition. As part of the 2023 program, the WLW working group continued to grow with the addition of 4 new members, making it more diverse and inclusive. The primary goal of the working group members is to raise awareness by organizing the participation of local communities in the #SheSaid initiative. #SheSaid began as an online campaign in 2020 to enhance the visibility of women leaders by creating new entries or improving existing entries on Wikiquote. This ensures that the voices of women are heard.
In 2024, 12 new members joined the group to attend 30 women from 12 African countries (Botswana, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwae, Kenya, Cameroun, Rwanda, Tunisia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt) and France.
In 2025, 5 new members joined the group to attend 35 women from 14 African countries (Botswana, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwae, Kenya, Cameroun, Rwanda, Tunisia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Madagascar, Senegal) and France.
Meet the Focus Group Members
Focus Group
Ann Wavinya
Olla Mahadi
Focus Group: Sudan
Olla Mahadi has been a volunteer with Wikimedia since 2018 on Wiki Gap 1.0. Ever since then, she has been involved in different work related to Sudan – editing mostly and training new users, highlighting the gap in content related to women and the need to write about Sudan by Sudanese. She is the co-founder of Wikimedia Sudan User Group in 2020.
Candy Tricia Khohliwe
Admin Intern
Candy Tricia Khohliwe is long-term editor and belongs to the Wikimedia Botswana Usergroup. She has led two successful Wiki Loves Africa photo contest and a successful Art and Feminism Editathon and panel discussion. She has assisted and conducted key activities and for the focus group members, a group made up odd 12 women across different countries of Africa.
Eliane Dominique Yao Sigan
Focus Group: Ivory Coast
President of the Board of Directors of Wikifranca, the network of French-speaking Users Groups and Chapters of the Wikimedia movement.
Rukaya Hamidu
Focus Group: Ghana
Logistics manager for the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group and co-facilitator for Dagbani Wikipedia Saha.
Goodness Ignatius
Focus Group: Nigeria
A dedicated member of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group. As a librarian, she has a passion for sharing knowledge and promoting learning, which has led her becoming an active contributor to various Wikimedia projects, including Meta-Wiki, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikicommons, and Wikiquote.
Faith Mwanyolo
Focus Group: Kenya
Faith Mwanyolo is a computer science student at Riara University located in Nairobi, Kenya. She began to take an interest in Wiki projects in 2018 and since has organized a WikiGap event at her university, attended the Wikimania Conference in Cape Town, among other things.
Carolyn Seaman
Focus Group: Nigeria
A lawyer with over 20 years’ experience advancing girls' and women’s rights. And a Social Entrepreneur, Tech Evangelist, Filmmaker, Girl Expert, Founder and Creative Director of Girls Voices Initiative, a non-profit that educates and empowers girls and women to identify their voices to advocate for their rights.
Tochi Precious Friday
Focus Group: Nigeria
Living in Abuja, Nigeria, Tochi is proudly an African Wikipedian, and initiates projects to further the Wikimedia movement (especially Igbo contribution) across Africa. Tochi founded a language centre called Smarter Language Hub where she helps to promote bilingual education and cross-cultural communication. She's a multi-linguist, lover of Arts and Culture.
Isla Haddow-Flood
Co-Project Manager
A Zimbabwean by birth, and a Capetonian by adoption, Oxford-educated Isla Haddow-Flood is a writer, editor and project strategist who is passionate about harnessing communication technology and media platforms for the advancement of open access to knowledge
Carol Mwaura (Cmwaura)
Focus Group: Kenya
Carol Mwaura (Cmwaura) is a Kenyan Librarian who is currently based in Nairobi Kenya. She am a new member of Wiki Loves Women Focus Group Members initiative in the larger movement of Wiki In Africa. She recently joined Wiki Loves Women Focus Group that focuses on contributing towards the UN’s SDG 5 Gender Equity: achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
Lucy Iwuala
Focus Group: Nigeria
A language professional and holds a degree in English and Literary.
Pearl Maatla Melamu
Focus Group: Botswana
A Wikimedian and a library intern at Arthur Portland College in Botswana.
Maab Hussien Mohamed Elfaki
Focus Group: Sudan
Graduted from development program and established a voluntrey work since 2018.
Maram Ali Ahmed
Focus Group: Sudan
A Sudanese wikimedian, and a researcher in Material Science and Physics lecturer. One of the co-founders and program officer of the Sudanese user group that is concerned about increasing and improving the Sudanese content.
Morleen Caroline Bortman
Focus Group: Zimbabwe
Morleen Caroline Bortman's motto is to "Always leave the world in a better way than you found it". Morleen is a 58 years old Reference Librarian at a university library in Harare, Zimbabwe. She has an Honours Degree in Library and Information and Information Science.
