How to volunteer at Kwaafri

Want to help put your language online? Here's everything you need to go from "I'm interested" to your first approved contribution. It takes about ten minutes to get set up, and you can do it on the web or in the Kwaafri app.

Who can volunteer?

Anyone who:

• speaks a Kenyan language we support (or want to support) comfortably,

• is 18 or older, and

• has a Kwaafri account with a verified email.

You don't need training, a fancy microphone or loads of free time. A quiet room and a phone are enough, and the free Dolby On app helps a lot.

Step 1: Create your account

Sign up at Kwaafri (or in the app) and complete your profile: name, phone number and preferred language. We'll send a code to your email to verify it. If you already have an account, skip ahead.

If your family shares an account, make sure you're on your profile, not a kid profile. Kid profiles can't volunteer.

Step 2: Open the Volunteer page

• On the web: tap Volunteer in the sidebar.

• In the app: open the Contribute tab at the bottom of the screen.

You'll see what volunteers do, how review works and a few common questions.

Step 3: Read the terms and join

The terms are short. In short:

• You'll record, transcribe and review audio in languages you speak well.

• Everything you submit is checked by a reviewer before anyone learns from it.

• Your recordings may be used to build lessons and train speech models for these languages.

• Only submit your own voice, or voices of people who agreed to be recorded.

Tick I agree to these terms, then tap Join as a volunteer. Your account switches over straight away and your contributor space opens.

Step 4: Pick your first task

Your contributor space has three areas:

Dialogues

Dialogues are short conversations between two or more people, and they're the backbone of our lessons.

1. Tap Dialogues, then New dialogue.

2. Give it a topic ("At the matatu stage", "Meeting a neighbour") and choose the language.

3. Add each line: pick who's speaking, write it in the local language, then add the English and Swahili versions.

4. Record each line. For the cleanest audio, record and trim it in the free Dolby On app, then tap Upload. Or tap Record, say it naturally and play it back to check.

5. Add useful words and phrases from the line so learners can tap them for meanings.

6. When it's done, tap Submit for review.

Tip: write the way people actually talk, not the way a textbook would. Real is better than perfect.

Clips

Clips are short recordings that need transcribing.

1. Tap Clips, choose a language and topic, then pick a clip.

2. Listen, and write exactly what you hear.

3. If the audio is noisy, use Clean up to tidy it on the server, or upload an edited version.

4. Tap Submit.

My clips

This is where you track everything you've worked on: what's waiting for review, what's been approved and what needs changes.

Step 5: Review and feedback

A reviewer checks every submission. One of three things happens:

• Approved: it goes into lessons or the dataset.

• Changes requested: you'll get a note explaining what to fix. Edit and resubmit.

• Rejected: rare, and you'll still get a note saying why.

Until something is approved you can keep editing it, or withdraw it if you change your mind.

Recording tips

• Use Dolby On if you can. It's free, cleans up background noise and lets you trim the start and end of a clip. Record there, then upload the file in Kwaafri. Get Dolby On on Google Play. If you don't have it, recording straight into Kwaafri is the next best option.

• Find a quiet room. Soft furnishings (curtains, a sofa) help kill echo.

• Hold your phone about a hand's width from your mouth.

• Speak at a normal pace, the way you would to a friend.

• Leave a short pause before and after each line.

• Play it back. If you'd be happy learning from it, it's good.

Can I stop?

Any time. Go back to the Volunteer page and tap Stop volunteering. You'll return to your normal learner account, and everything you've contributed stays credited to you.

Questions?

Leave a note through Rate Us in your profile or reach out on our socials. And if you know someone who'd be a great volunteer, send them this post.

Thank you for helping your language find its voice online.