WikimediaBD Organizational Profile

Wikimedia Bangladesh or WikimediaBD (locally registered in Bangladesh as Wikimedia Bangladesh Foundation) is an approved chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation, which was founded by Wikipedia activists in Bangladesh. It was approved by the Wikimedia Board of trustees on October 3, 2011 and was the 39th chapter to be approved by the Wikimedia Foundation board, the main body responsible for maintaining Wikipedia and its sister projects.

It was locally registered in Bangladesh on 9 June 2014 at Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms as a non-profit foundation under the Societies Registrations Act, 1860 bearing the registration number S-11906 and official name Wikimedia Bangladesh Foundation.

Mission and vision

Imagine a world in which all people share in the knowledge of humanity, can use, and increase it. This is our vision of free knowledge!

Access to knowledge and education is a human right. Free knowledge leads to a cosmopolitan and informed society. Regardless of origin or social status, people should not only be able to access knowledge freely, but should also be able to contribute knowledge themselves. Our goal is therefore to establish and strengthen the creation, collection, and dissemination of free knowledge in all areas of society. Because: together we know more!

While the content of Wikipedia and other wiki projects is written and edited exclusively by volunteer authors, we are the foundation aming to serve this unique community: We encourage the volunteers to do their digital volunteering and to implement their ideas and goals.

Objectives

1. To create awareness among the people of Bangladesh about the availability of free and open educational content and enable them to effectively use this.
2. To help build the capacity of individuals and institutions to access, develop, and contribute to free and open educational resources which include but are not limited to, encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, images, etc.
3. To organize and facilitate workshops, seminars, study circles, conferences, training programs, and other educational activities in collaboration and cooperation with academic/educational institutes, research groups, non-government organizations, foreign agencies, governments, and any other interested organization for spreading the knowledge and/or use of free and open educational resources.
4. To support the charitable work of the Wikimedia Foundation.
5. To promote wider participation in the creation, dissemination, and expansion of information and educational resources covering the world’s knowledge and languages to all persons, everywhere.
6. To further the development of electronic, printed, and other resources required to support such participation.
7. To produce, publish, and develop or cause to be produced, published, and developed, information/educational resources, whether in printed, electronic, or other forms.
8. To encourage the use of information resources for the advancement of education.
9. To do all and any other acts or things as may be incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the above objects.

Current projects

Local communities run by Wikimedia Bangladesh

Notable events

Bangla Wikipedia Unconference 2012

Bangla Wikipedia Unconference 2012 was the first-ever big-level conference-like outreach event organized by Wikimedia Bangladesh in association with Independent University, Bangladesh, Chittagong, and Bangladesh Open Source Network. The event took place on March 2nd and 3rd of 2012, and it was hosted by Independent University Bangladesh in Chittagong. This open event was attended by around 300 participants and a good number of schools, colleges, and universities of Chittagong. The event was named after Bangla Wikipedia to promote the biggest Bengali language Wikimedia project, Bengali Wikipedia. The purpose of the Unconference was to make people aware of Wikipedia and to introduce them to the uses of Wikipedia, Wikipedia editing, and to develop wiki culture and awareness.

Wikipedia Zero launching ceremony

On 13th November 2013, Wikipedia Zero was officially launched in Bangladesh. Wikimedia Bangladesh arranged a press conference at Karwan Bazar to mark the launching and brief the media about the Wikipedia Zero program. Carolynne Schloeder, Director of Mobile Programs of Wikimedia Foundation, joined the press conference. Also, representatives from the top three mobile operators of Bangladesh - Grameenphone, Banglalink, and Robi were present at the press conference along with Wikimedia Bangladesh President and board members. WikimediaBD President informed the newsman about the Wikipedia Zero program in detail. The mobile operator representatives further informed about their own initiatives regarding this program and their partnerships with Wikimedia Foundation.

Gala evening to celebrate Bengali Wikipedia's 10th anniversary

Bengali Wikipedia completed 10 Years in March 2014. To celebrate this historic milestone a gala evening was held at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka on 26 February, 2015. The event was organized by Wikimedia Bangladesh and sponsored by Grameenphone. Jimmy Wales the founder of Wikipedia presented as a chief guest of the program. This event was attended by around 300 invited participants including Wikimedians and other respected guests from different universities as well as from the govt. New Wikimedia contributors from seven divisions of Bangladesh were also awarded in this event. The event was circulated by local and national dailies/electronic media.

Bangla Wikipedia 10th Anniversary Conference 2015

The Bangla Wikipedia 10th Anniversary Conference 2015 was held on 30th May 2015 at Daffodil International University in Dhaka. About 300 Wikipedians from Bangladesh and West Bengal of India attended the conference. The State Minister of ICT Division of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was present at the conference. Vice-Chancellor of the university Dr. Lutfur Rahman and Wikimedia Bangladesh President Munir Hasan were also present during the inauguration. A number of workshops and interactive sessions took place at the day-long conference. The sessions were conducted by WMBD Executive Committee and Operations Committee members. Participants at the workshops were given hands-on training on creating and developing articles, adding photos and content to Wikipedia. Wikipedians also shared their experiences and discussed improving Bangla Wikipedia. Ten best Wikipedians were awarded at the program for their outstanding contribution. Three best photographers were also awarded for their photographs submitted for the Bangla Wikipedia Photography Contest 2014, which was arranged as part of the 10th anniversary of Bangla Wikipedia. Eminent writer and journalist Anisul Hoque was present during the award-giving ceremony. A session was held particularly to enhance female contributors to Wikipedia. Another session was held where Wikipedians from West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh discussed collaborative activities among the Wikipedians of their region.

Wikipedia School Programs

As part of the legacy of the Bangla Wikipedia's expansive ten-year anniversary celebrations, the Bengali Wikimedia community and Wikimedia Bangladesh—a local chapter—has been hosting Wikipedia awareness programs in schools around the country.

Out of nine programs, three were held in Dhaka, four in Chittagong, one in Patgram Upazila, and one in Rajshahi. Local Wikipedians, school teachers, cultural clubs helped to organize the events, which were each attended by an average of seventy students from ninth to twelfth grade. The events received press coverage from around the country, including newspapers like Prothom Alo.

Edit-a-thon at Bangladesh National Museum

A day-long edit-a-thon was held in the Bangladesh National Museum on December 24, 2016. The event was organized by Wikimedia Bangladesh and supported by the museum authority. 25 Wikipedians participated in the edit-a-thon, where they developed the articles on the liberation war of Bangladesh and issues of cultural significance. Wikipedians utilized the resources available in the museum, to improve the contents. The edit-a-thon produced 7 good articles related to the heroic freedom fighters of Bangladesh.

Wiki Loves Monuments Bangladesh

Bangladesh took part in the international Wiki loves monuments photography competition (the world’s largest photography contest) since 2016. In 2017, two photos from Bangladesh ranked 3rd and 7th position. In 2018, four photos ranked 4th, 5th, 11th, and 15th position. In 2019, a photo got 8th position in worldwide competition.

Wiki Loves Earth in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has taken part in the international Wiki Loves Earth (an annual international photographic competition around conservation areas of the participating countries) photography competition since 2017. Every year Bangladesh won prizes in world wide competition. From the 1st edition of this competition a photo got no 11th position from Bangladesh. In 2018, 3 photos got the prize of 3rd, 8th and 12th position. In 2019, a photo got 4th position internationally. In 2020, we had a blast. 1st, 3rd, 7th and 15th positions are achieved from Bangladesh.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EC) consists of President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Six Members. The EC is elected by the general assembly for a two-year term. The following members are currently serving on the EC.

1. Shabab Mustafa (President)
2. Ankan Ghosh Dastider (Secretary)
3. Masum al Hasan (Treasurer)
4. Tanvir Rahman (Member)
5. Mayeenul Islam (Member)
6. Ali Haidar Khan (Member)
7. Tanweer Morshed (Member)
8. Moheen Reeyad (Member)
9. Subrata Roy (Member)