The 2026 International Women’s Day (IWD), themed “Give to Gain,” offered a powerful moment for us as a community to pause and reflect on how far we have come through the sacrifices of African women, especially female Wikimedians who have given to us and to their grassroots communities.
To mark this auspicious celebration, the Africa Wiki Women went beyond a single day of celebration to rolling out a series of activities that grew into a month-long campaign focused on impact and inclusion.
The Africa Wiki Women officially launched the Give to Gain 2026 campaign on 6th March 2026 through a virtual event on Zoom, graced by voices of women givers such as Rejoice Agbi, the Founder of the Heels and Sips Network, Ghana, Obiageli Ezeilo, co-founder of the Wiki For Senior Citizens Network, alongside Carolyn Seaman, Founder and Creative Director of Girls Voices Initiatives. Their presence underscored the importance of sustaining conversations around women’s rights beyond just one day, reinforcing the need for continuous engagement and action.
With the focus of the campaign on closing the gender gap on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, the launch unveiled the IWD 2026 edit-a-thon with the aim to create new Wikipedia articles and Wikidata items, while adding the “Philanthropist” statement to the Wikidata items of the African Women Philanthropist category based on their various African languages. As usual, the editors/participants were trained for participation through language-based Wikipedia training, which catered to both our English and French communities, alongside Wikidata training.
Africa Wiki Women’s empowerment through support
In February 2026, the Africa Wiki Women rolled out a call for a female organiser themed “Shape the Narrative” for the IWD Campaign.
This call was to African women in Egypt, Rwanda, Cameroon and Uganda who are Wikimedians and members of the Africa Wiki Women community who have experience as organisers.
After the review of the applications received for this Call, Julie.Acom was granted the support to host the in-person event in Uganda, and through this selection, the Africa Wiki Women collaborated with the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda.
The in-person training event held on the 21st of March 2026 in Uganda, Kampala, was led by the female organiser Julie Acom.
The event started with an introduction to the Give to Gain Campaign and its objectives, followed by an introduction to Wikimedia Projects by Mr Michael Kaluba from Wikimedia Uganda User Group. From then on, Sandra Aceng trained participants on improving existing articles on African women, guiding them through adding infoboxes. For the second training session, multiple trainers, including Catherine Nambogo, Ivan Ssenkungu, Brenda Ainomugisha, Chris Liberty Owobusingye handled the translation of articles into Luganda, Runyankole/Rukiga languages. Lastly, Leticia Nabunje and Michael Kaluba were trainers for the creation and improvement of Wikidata items.
The opportunity to shine (our fellows’ experience through the IWD 2026 campaign)
The Africa Wiki Women IWD 2026 campaign provided the LMF Fellows with opportunities to take on more active roles within the program. By moderating training sessions and supporting office hours, they contributed to facilitating discussions and creating inclusive learning spaces for participants.
These roles also offered insight into the planning and coordination required to deliver successful sessions. From preparation to execution, fellows gained a clearer understanding of the structure behind each activity. In addition, involvement in the edit review processes highlighted the level of rigour involved in ensuring quality contributions throughout the campaign.
Overall, the campaign supported both learning and contribution, allowing fellows to build confidence while playing a role in advancing knowledge equity.
“Moderating for the first time highlighted the importance of preparation and creating an inclusive space where participants feel engaged.” – Lois
“Participating in planning and review processes provided insight into the effort behind the campaign while also introducing new perspectives on the contributions of African women.” – Katie
“Participating in the ‘Give to Gain’ campaign allowed me to translate articles and moderate a session, helping improve access to knowledge while strengthening my communication and leadership skills.” – Emilia
What’s next?
Though the IWD 2026 editathon has ended, the journey of creating impact and bridging the gender based gaps still continues.
Join us to continue to change the narrative through the EditHer Africa Contest, April Edition. Click on the link to register.
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