Hi everyone!

Just realized we never sent a more detailed response back to the "Carta de entendimento 5/8/11" you composed in August[0], beyond the longer letter that Barry almost simultaneously wrote in at the end of August[1].

I really appreciate the outline of the different points in the letter, and just so you know, I am going to respond to it very generally as opposed to discussing things point by point. (Of course, you know I am happy to engage on the specifics of any one point, so please speak out if you want clarification on anything! I am happy to answer when there is an answer to give:)

We are really excited about the work that has been progressing in Brazil, and as Barry's note described, the support WMF is going to continue providing you all with the support you need in order to successfully tackle such projects as the Offline Initiative, Editing Competition, and Global Education Program. These are all projects which are being actively owned and managed by members of the Brazilian community. The ownership you all are taking in these regards is very important, and we want to support these sorts of efforts to the extent possible. An “official” WMF office in the region would in no way try to take the reigns back on such projects: it would simply try to provide even more support!

For now, we are still trying to identify the best legal structure before attempting to form any sort of office in the country and are continuing to meet with some Brazilian lawyers to better understand how to mitigate risk in the country. There have been no further advancements on the establishment of the office itself, though, and we will continue to be transparent in all the plans within Brazil! Feel free to contribute to the direction of that planning on the Brazil Catalyst Project pages, which Carol has helped develop.[2]

Of course, you know you can always reach out to me on the list, privately, or on the Wiki if you have questions or comments. My Portuguese is terrible, but we can work with Google Translate, or we can find those EN&PT speakers to translate for us :)

Finally, I wonder if any of you could help me and send me, from time to time, a summary in English of the main topics being discussed in the mailing list and PT Wikipedia discussion pages. This would help me understand if the community need any direct support from us in regard to a specific issue!

Best and looking forward to continuing working together -

Jessie

[0] http://br.wikimedia.org/wiki/Carta_de_entendimento_5/8/11
[1] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Brazil_Catalyst_Project/August_2011_Update
[2] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Brazil_Catalyst_Project/