Dear global Wikimedia community,
As a follow up to Hisham's message, I would like to thank Hisham for his efforts in
support of Wikimedia in India. He has been a great partner to the Wikimedia Foundation
team and has worked tirelessly to build the India Program. He has worked in a challenging
environment trying to do work in the Wikimedia movement that hasn’t been done before.
While there have been ups and downs, our work in India has broken new ground for the
movement and taught us all valuable lessons that we are applying in India and around the
world. There is an unprecedented level of activity happening in India with promising
programs that position the movement for continued growth.
Hisham also leaves behind an India Program that is working effectively with community
members on a number of positive initiatives including community growth partnerships in
several Indic languages, support for a new Malayalam education program, a GLAM partnership
at the Crafts Museum, new wikiclubs at the British Council, ongoing efforts to leverage
social media, and a dramatic increase in blog coverage of the India community’s work.
There are also exciting developments on mobile that will be announced soon. This work will
continue.
Hisham’s departure coincides with another change in the India Program. We are pleased to
announce that the Wikimedia Foundation has approved a grant to the Centre for Internet and
Society (CIS) in Bangalore to expand their Access to Knowledge programme to support the
achievement of the Wikimedia mission in India. CIS is a leading organization in India
working on Internet policy. They are part of the broad free and open community. CIS is a
long time friend of Wikimedia, our community in Bangalore, and the Wikimedia India
chapter.
CIS has committed to sustaining and building upon the work of the India Program. They plan
to hire the existing program consultants as staff and will conduct a search for a new
programme director. The program team will be based in Delhi. CIS will be sharing their
program plans shortly and will want to incorporate community feedback.
The grant will be for two years in duration to complete the original first stage of the
catalyst strategy. The first year’s grant will be for a total of INR 11,000,000 subject to
final budget approvals. The second year will be for a similar amount plus inflation
subject to a budget review in May 2013. The grant will be renewable via the Wikimedia
Grants program (or the FDC, if CIS were to become an affiliated organization and meet
eligibility).
This is a shift in how the Wikimedia Foundation seeks to support work in India. Rather
than hire consultants or open an office of our own, we think it is preferable to work with
an established institution that can bring valuable relationships and capabilities to
support our movement. CIS will be a partner to the Wikimedia Foundation, but will operate
autonomously in accordance with the terms of the grant agreement.
CIS will hire a programme director for the work. The recruitment process will draw on the
best practices Wikimedia used in Brazil and incorporate active community participation in
the process. They will share more info on this soon.
We have prepared an FAQ on Meta[1] and ask that questions or comments be posted there. I
will endeavour to respond in a timely fashion, though I will be on a flight until 20:00
UTC tonight and will be in meetings in Dubai on Tuesday morning.
Finally, I'd like to wish Hisham all the best in his future endeavours. He has taken
us through a critical first stage of our work in India and set us up for significant
progress during the next stage. He will be missed and I hope he will stay a part of the
Wikimedia community in India.
Best regards,
Barry
[1]
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Program/India_Program_Announcement_and…
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Barry Newstead
Chief Global Development Officer
Wikimedia Foundation