But you raise
an important issue, which is whether *we* as an
*organisation* should financially help similar ideas (ie, paying
editors). Of course, this requires specific requirements (such as
control, validation of final quality, starting language with few editors
expected, local organisers etc...), but on the concept, should we or
should we not ?
I guess *we* is the Wikimedia Foundation. I don't think Wikimedia should
fund projects that pay editors. There are plenty of NGO's and there is
plenty of money going into development projects for developing
countries. Lots of that money is spent on expensive plane flights and
big salaries to send white people to poor countries. So what we (as in
the broader Wikipedia community) can do is try to get some of that money
to develop projects we think can make a difference, by directly paying
many people in poor countries (as opposed to several politicians and big
men gaining lots of bribes).
If I wanted to give to such a place delivery could be a big problem. If
you send cash or if you send the computers there will always be too many
open hands between you and the recipient. If you use mainstream NGOs
money also gets wasted sending the cameraman to take pictures of the NGO
agent doing his good deeds. In the early stages you need someone there
whom you can trust to distribute the funds properly.
Ec