Wiki Loves Women/Portal

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Project external links

Website: www.wikiloveswomen.org
WLW's Inspiring Open podcast: Listen from here
Youtube: Wiki Loves Women Playlist
Twitter: @Wikiloveswomen
Instagram: @WikiLovesWomen
Facebook page : @WikiLovesWomen
Facebook group : Mind The Gender Gap group
Wiki in Africa project page: WLW on Wiki In Africa
Project internal links
HOME (On Meta): Wiki Loves Women
On English WP: WikiProject Wiki Loves Women
On French WP: Projet:Wiki Loves Women
On Commons: c:Category:Wiki Loves Women
The Advisory Committee (created in 2020)
The Focus Group (created in 2021)
Global drives organized:
#SheSaid annual campaign (2026) Wiki OTO campaign (2026) 2026 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign #SheSaid annual campaign (2025) Wiki OTO campaign (2025) 2025 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign #SheSaid annual campaign (2024) 2024 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign #SheSaid annual campaign (2023) 2023 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign #SheSaid annual campaign (2022) 2022 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign #SheSaid annual campaign (2020, 2021) 2021 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign 2020 ISA Tell Us About Her campaign #19Women in Sport (2019) #18Women Occupation Drive (2018) #17African feminists (2017) #16WikiWomen Translation Drive (2016) #15Challenge Concours d’écriture (2015)
Participation in:
The Africa Destubathon (2016)
Friend and allies in Asia
Wiki Loves Women India 2019 Wiki Loves Women South Asia 2020 Wiki Loves Women South Asia 2021
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Welcome

Wiki Loves Women focuses on bridging two significant gaps on Wikimedia projects – women and Africa – both in terms of content about these subjects and in terms of participation by people from these groups. Wiki Loves Women is a Wiki in Africa project.

The project was initially designed to leverage Wikipedia’s role as a global repository for the dissemination of information to achieve accessible and fair online representation of notable women in countries in Africa. It encourages the contribution of existing researched and verified information by civil society organisations to Wikipedia with the intent of redressing the systemic bias online about women. The donated data and content specifically focused on women’s contribution to the political, economic, scientific, cultural and heritage landscape, as well as the current socio-political status of women in each country that it is instigated.

In 2020, Wiki Loves Women announced its Advisory Committee that is made up of amazing women and men within the Wikimedia movement who have experience with pushing for gender equity. Many of the members were involved as their community's leads when doing Wiki Loves Women's activities in their countries. We are fortunate and honoured to have them involved.

Today, WLW is evolving its programs to better respond to changing contexts and the needs of communities worldwide. While continuing to promote gender-focused knowledge on Wikimedia projects, the initiative is expanding how it supports contributors through new approaches, collaborations, and activities. This shift reflects WLW’s commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and adaptability, ensuring that the project remains relevant and impactful in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Context and Rationale when we started the initiative in 2016

Gender inequality remains a significant challenge across Africa. Despite progress in workplaces and society, systemic biases continue to shape how women are represented in information sources, media, and knowledge repositories, both online and offline. Many notable African women—whether historical figures, innovators, or business leaders driving formal and informal economies—remain underrepresented. Everyday realities faced by women and girls, shaped by gender, are similarly absent from online spaces. These stories deserve equal visibility alongside those of men, yet they are largely missing from the world’s largest knowledge platforms, including Wikipedia.

The digital divide further compounds this gap. According to ITU’s 2019 report, 3.9 billion people (47% of the global population) are online, leaving 3.8 billion unconnected despite the widespread reach of mobile networks. The majority of those offline live in the world’s least developed countries, where 80% of the population remains disconnected. In 2019, Africa recorded the lowest internet penetration globally at 39.3%, and by 2020, southern Africa’s internet access had dropped to 26.4%.

Women face additional barriers to online access. Globally, 48% of women use the internet compared with 58% of men. In Africa, only 22.6% of women have internet access, compared with 33.8% of men. Urban poor women are even less likely to be online, with studies showing a 50% lower likelihood of internet use compared to men.

Several factors contribute to this digital gender gap:

Affordability: Internet and device costs remain prohibitive.
Digital skills: Limited access to training and capacity-building.
Content relevance: A scarcity of information addressing women’s interests, local issues, or health.
Representation: Few online stories reflect women’s expertise or lived experiences, often perpetuating stereotypes.
Cultural considerations: Content may fail to account for local languages, context, and stories.

This lack of access and representation creates a self-reinforcing cycle. When women do not see themselves reflected online in culturally relevant ways, they are less likely to contribute or view themselves as capable participants in knowledge production. Similarly, without inspiring role models visible in media and online platforms, fewer women pursue leadership or public pathways. Addressing these gaps aligns directly with the principle of leaving no one behind, a cornerstone of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Read more here.

How We Work nowadays

“We don’t just edit Wikipedia, we unlock stories from organizations and communities.”

Wiki Loves Women operates at the intersection of knowledge, gender, and African representation. The project’s methodology focuses on facilitating the transfer of verified information from existing research, organizations, and archives onto Wikimedia projects, while actively building the capacity of contributors.

Key Approaches:

Collaborating: WLW works with existing gender equality-focused organizations / Communities to release verified information about notable women onto Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms.
Training and Activating Editors: Through the Focus Group program and training, African women learn technical Wikimedia skills and gain other abilities such as content creation, community engagement, and leadership.
Running Global Campaigns: WLW organizes campaigns such as the ISA Campaign, Wiki OTO and the SheSaid Campaign, which mobilize contributors worldwide to create and improve content about women on Wikimedia projects.
Sharing Knowledge via Media: The Inspiring Open Podcast communicates stories, insights, and discussions about women, gender, and knowledge gaps to a wider audience, complementing editing and campaign efforts.
Community Engagement: By combining campaigns, training, and media, WLW activates communities of both female and gender-sensitized male editors, ensuring knowledge is not only created but also shared and sustained locally.

Key Initiatives:

ISA Campaign: A global initiative promoting women’s visibility and representation across Wikimedia projects.
SheSaid Campaign: The annual Wikiquote campaign highlighting notable women and their inspiring quotes.
Focus Group: Training Program for African women editors.
Inspiring Open Podcast: A platform sharing stories, insights, and conversations about women, gender, and knowledge gaps in Africa.
Wiki OTOː A Wikidata drive that aims to add or improve items about women.

This model ensures that WLW not only increases the quantity of content about women but also strengthens the skills, networks, and confidence of African women contributors, creating a sustainable, long-term impact across Wikimedia projects.

Impact

Over the past five years, Wiki Loves Women has made a measurable difference in increasing the visibility and representation of women on Wikimedia projects.

SheSaid Campaign

42,619 new articles or edits on Wikiquote.
27 different participating language communities

Focus Group

54 working sessions hosted by Focus Group members
35 members joined the group from 14 African countries and France

ISA “Tell Us About Her” Campaign

192,590 contributions
91;807 images described

Campaigns & Annual Activities

2026 Activities (Planned & Ongoing)

ISA Global Campaign (March): ISA Tell Us About Her: Women in Sports Done
Focus Group (̥Mai - July): Cohort new concept program Doing...
Wiki OTO (August): WikiData campaign - Women in Politics Doing...
SheSaid Global Campaign (Sept–Dec): Annual Wikiquote campaign Doing...
Inspiring Open Podcast Episodes: New episodes planned Doing...
Additional Events: Special workshops, collaborations with Wikimedia communities, and virtual editing tables throughout the year Doing...