Inside the University of Botswana School Adoption Programme 2026
Students at the University of Botswana are becoming Wikimedia contributors through a year-long school adoption programme spanning Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia and Setswana editing.
The University of Botswana School Adoption Programme 2026 is one of our flagship outreach efforts this year, embedding Wikimedia skills directly into campus life. Rather than a one-off workshop, the programme runs across the academic year, giving students the time and mentorship to grow from first-time editors into confident contributors.
What students are learning
The programme is structured around a series of online trainings. Participants began with two Wikimedia Commons sessions — learning how to photograph, license and upload freely-reusable images — before moving on to dedicated Setswana editing trainings that focus on growing local-language content.
- Uploading and categorising media on Wikimedia Commons
- Writing neutral, well-sourced encyclopedic articles
- Editing and translating content into Setswana
- Tracking contributions on the Programs & Events Dashboard
You can follow the cohort's live impact — articles created, edits made and words added — on the outreach dashboard.
Why it matters
School adoption builds something a single event cannot: a sustained community of editors who keep contributing long after the training ends. By rooting the programme at the University of Botswana, we are helping a new generation of students see themselves as authors of the world's knowledge — and ensuring Botswana's story is told by Batswana.
Want to bring a programme like this to your campus? Get in touch — we would love to hear from you.
