[Foundation-l] Fwd: Wikimedia India Program Trust

[Béria Lima]

Disclaimer: I'm not Indian, and I don't know much about the Indian
operations, but I needed to answer about something I do know.


*Anirudh said: WMIN and WIPT will theoretically compete for funding within
>> India, much of which will be allocated to WIPT, given that it is
>> professionalized (and because we never had a chance) and in WMF's good
>> graces.*
>>
>
> *And Bishakha answered: As I understand it, WMIN has received a grant
> from WMF, so I can't understand how it "never had a chance".**  *
>

Ok talking about grants: WMIN has so far 2 grants: a Bootstrap
Grant<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Bootstrap_Grant>and
a grant for WCI
2011 <http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/WikiConference_India_2011>(since
this
grant<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Wiki_Community_development_in_India_and_newsletter>state
in the begin that is not a chapter grant, despite the fact that has
the WMIN in the title). One is for a ver specif thing - a conference - who
is being leading by 2 "fellows" of WMF. The second one has nothing to do
with professionalization. So when comes to funding, if they decide to
collect funds locally, would be incredible difficult to "fight against" the
WIPT who is full of employees[1] who are used to work with that for years.
That was - I believe - Anirudh's point.

[1] I'm in WMIN ML and I see a hiring once per month, sometimes more.
_____
*Béria Lima*
<http://wikimedia.pt/>(351) 925 171 484

*Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter
livre acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. Ajude-nos a
construir esse sonho. <http://wikimedia.pt/Donativos>*


On 11 November 2011 17:34, Bishakha Datta <bishakhadatta em gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 8:39 PM, Anirudh Bhati <anirudhsbh em gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > The initial idea, if I understood it correctly, was to establish another
> > non-profit body within India, for a period of three to five years to
> > execute specific (and large-scale) programmes.  As of now, the WIPT
> > (Wikimedia India Program Office) can pretty much do anything it wants
> with
> > the Wikimedia brand - partner with institutions, raise money locally,
> have
> > paid employees and bypass community.
>
>
> From what I have seen, the program office does not behave like a law unto
> itself, as implied above.
>
>
> > This is what I foresee happening:
> >  WMIN will be involved in community-building and small-scale projects
> which
> > support volunteers and the WIPT will partner with large institutions in
> > India (who are understandably looking to club with international
> > organizations), get a lot of media coverage and acquire the big grants
> > (since WMIN is not a professional body).
>
>
> WMIN has already had interest from and meetings with other donors,
> including pretty big ones in India (I was there at one such in 2010), so
> why this feeling that WMIN can't acquire the big grants?
>
>
> > WMIN and WIPT will theoretically
> > compete for funding within India, much of which will be allocated to
> WIPT,
> > given that it is professionalized (and because we never had a chance) and
> > in WMF's good graces.
>
>
> As I understand it, WMIN has received a grant from WMF, so I can't
> understand how it "never had a chance".
>
>
> > This is how WMIN has been made redundant (something
> > that I have been saying for a long, long time).
> >
> > I really don't get this. Given that India is a huge country - with more
> than 1 billion people - and zillions of opportunities to grow editing
> communities in different languages, how can WMIN become or be made
> redundant? Also, given that the chapter is less than a year old, and has
> some new office-bearers, and has announced new plans for moving forward,
> how is it redundant?
>
> My personal view is that there is enough work ahead for not just one, or
> two, but numerous entities, formal and informal, to enter the fray and
> actualize this potential. Already, there are many more requests for
> collaboration within India than either WMIN or WIPT or both put together
> can handle.
>
> Given this huge potential, I don't see why this discussion has to be framed
> through the lens of competition or territoriality.
>
> Cheers
> Bishakha
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