Stories2/en
From the Wikimedia Foundation
|
Wikipedia |
|
Forever |
Donate Now · Show Your Support · Share Your Story · Donor Comments · Stories · Questions?
Wikipedia is Changing Lives
Here are just a few of the amazing stories that our users shared with us. We thank them for their willingness to tell their story about Wikipedia.
| “ | Wikipedia is the 21st Century's equivalent of the Library of Alexandria, and it represents the highest in humanity's willingness to collaborate and share knowledge across the globe. As a screenwriter and comedy writer who insists on approaching subjects with verisimilitude, Wikipedia allows me to do my research thoroughly and efficiently without purchasing expensive books or spending days in a library.
(…) I have been researching Artificial Intelligence on Wikipedia for a screenplay, and I am by no means an expert in the field...nor do I understand arcane math and computer programming languages. In plain English, along with pictures and diagrams, Wikipedia has allowed me to pore over dozens of articles and external links. Through these carefully-included external links, I have even been able to contact a world-class expert in AI to round out my knowledge! (…) I can only hope that Wikipedia perpetuates forever and is available, for FREE, to anybody who wants to learn...and that experts in every field continue to share their knowledge with humankind. I urge ANYONE who can make a donation to the Wikimedia Foundation to do so. Donating allows everyone with an Internet connection to continue a cycle of learning that will elevate mankind and bring all of us closer by perpetuation of valuable knowledge. | ” |
A story from Romania:
| “ | Sunt o persoana curioasa si combativa. Imi place sa stiu multe, sa-i inteleg pe ceilalti si sa-mi argumentez pozitiile. Nu sunt bogata, asa ca internetul este poarta mea spre lume, spre oameni, spre stiinta. Prima data am gasit Wikipedia in engleza, si mi-a fost destul de greu, apoi pe cea in franceza, si abia apoi in limba romana. Am fost absolut entuziasmata: statistic, in Romania erau putini utilizatori de internet.
Am povestit tuturor prietenilor. Dar cel mai frumos a fost acum doua saptamani, cand mi-am invatat mama- care are 72 de ani- sa caute informatii in Wikipedia ro. Mama mea acum invata sa utilizeze calculatorul. Nu i-a venit sa creada ca aceasta enciclopedie poate fi cercetata gratuit. "Cum? Cine a tradus in romana toate informatiile acestea? Si sigur n-o sa primesc acasa o factura? Nu pot sa cred ca cineva face aceste lucruri fara sa-mi ceara ceva in schimb! Chiar nu credeam ca se mai face ceva dezinteresat in lumea asta." I-am spus ca, probabil, internetul,si accesul liber si gratuit la informatie poate pune bazele celei mai democratice societati pe care o cunoastem. Eu sper ca asa va fi. | ” |
English translation:
| “ | I am a curious and competitive person. I like to learn, to understand and be able to argue my opinions. I am not rich, so the Internet is my gateway to the world, to people and to science. First I found Wikipedia in English, but it was pretty difficult to understand; then I found the French edition, and then the Romanian – I was very enthusiastic, because the statistics say there are few Internet users in Romania.
I told all my friends about it. But the most amazing thing was that two weeks ago, I learned that my 72 year old mother reads the Romanian Wikipedia. My mother now knows how to use a computer. She did not know that this encyclopedia could be used for free. "How? Who has translated all this information into Romanian? And is it sure that I will not get a bill in the mail for this? I can't believe someone has done all this work without asking for anything in return. I did not think anyone in the world would do something as selfless as that." I said that perhaps the Internet, and free and open access to information, can build a more democratic society than the one we know. I hope it will. | ” |
| “ | Students in our city who cannot afford even a day’s meal are still interested in learning and continuing their schooling. We decided to offer support to these kinds of students in various ways. Wikimedia provided us a path to direct the students to connect to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. We are planning to offer free Internet access to the students, with access to the free encyclopedia, Wikipedia. We wish to support the students’ community, the next generation, with free education by the Wiki-way! We request all visitors to support Wikipedia, support nonprofit education! | ” |
| “ | I was recently deployed for the second time to Iraq this past year. I was a Section Sergeant for a "Gun Truck" team of 25 Soldiers attached to an Infantry Battalion. We spent about 400 days in the Babil To: Province of Iraq and conducted over 450 patrols. We were in constant interaction with the Iraqi culture and population out in sector and we had no knowledge of their culture and history. I did not want us to be "bad" ambassadors for the U.S. and the only way I could make sure my Soldiers respected the Iraqi people was to educate them on the history of Islam and culture of Iraq. With only a laptop in our Tactical Operations Center, I accessed Wikipedia weekly and researched everything from the rich history of our area in Iraq to the Shiite religion. Knowledge breaks all barriers and eliminates fear. Thank you. | ” |
| “ | I'm from Agnam-Goly, a Sahelian village in north-eastern Senegal with a population of 3,143 inhabitants. (...) I used Wikipedia the first time in 2007 for educational purposes while I was studying in Cheikh Anta DIOP university of Dakar. At the beginning, I thought like many other students in Dakar that the Wikipedia articles are all completed work to which I can't add anything- I mean a closed system. (...) But by curiosity, I entered the name of my village (Agnam-Goly) within the Wikipedia search tool, and I noticed that the article entitled "Agnam-Goly" does not exist but I can create it. And I said to myself "wow, how come?!". I was so happy to know that I can be part of the system, I mean becoming an active Wikipedia user and contributor.
(...) Well, I started elaborating on the article about Agnam-Goly (...) Then I shared worldwide lots of information about my village: its history, tradition, geography, economic, social organization, myths, beliefs, people, architecture, and culture. As I didn't have a digital camera for my first Wikipedia writings, I said to myself that I can use a drawing which I can scan and share. The first image I used for my village was a diagram of its infrastructures: its school, health clinic, borehole and wells, the central market, the soccer field and the mosques. And that idea works quite good as I do not have a digital camera. But it can be hard to convey every reality of my village through drawing and it is time consuming. So I started saving some money in order to buy a digital camera, which took me four months. I bought a digital camera and took more than one thousand pictures related to my village so that I can share them through Wikimedia commons and use some of them to elaborate on the article about my village. (...) But what I learnt most from all of that is the fact that the best of the communities is the community of knowledge and sharing and that's what WIKIPEDIA means to me. (...) PS: I wish I had money to donate to Wikipedia. I hope to do so one day, after all, I made the digital camera possible! | ” |
You can find the article that Adama started in the French Wikipedia: Agnam-Goly.
| “ | I am the older sister of a man with autism who is truly curious about the world. After showing him how to pose a question on the computer and bring up Wikipedia, he developed his own way to investigate maps, eras, history, space, well the list goes on and on. I was working on a project and was stumped by the origin of a concept. He astonished me by typing a related word on to the screen, then bringing up Wikipedia! Your site has truly helped to develop his sense of our world! Professionally I am the Director of an agency serving children and adults with autism. Having done so well with my own brother, I insist people who work with our autistic participants use Wikipedia as often as possible. What a fantastic way to teach, illustrate and enlighten individuals with and without handicaps! Thank you Wikipedia! | ” |
Have a story to share? Please tell us! Click here.
Click here to make a financial donation to the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.
