I created my Wikipedia account in 2013. I was curious, but I did not know how to edit. Having a username was a beginning; understanding how to contribute, and finding people to learn alongside, would take considerably longer.

That changed in 2023, after I returned to Uganda from my master’s studies in London. Sandra Aceng reintroduced me to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda (WCUGU). What had been an unfamiliar editing platform became a community I could participate in.

Looking back, that invitation made an extraordinary difference! Now, we are celebrating Wikimedian and Project Lead of the Year 2026! (I was so elated, I posed for a different award in the photo below – haha!)

Finding a reason to contribute

My time in London had sharpened my appreciation for documentation: how much we can learn about places, histories and communities when someone has taken the time to record them.…