Wikipedia is pretty large now, even for text only versions. So the most recommended option to download/read an offline version is by using “Kiwix”.
Kiwix is a reader designed to open and operate archived websites like Wikipedia that are stored in a .zim (think z-file compression but for websites).
Kiwix is open sourced and readers can be installed on your pc, phones, self-hosted as a website, etc.
You can check out their Kiwix library for a list of curated zim’s beyond Wikipedia that are updated on a schedule
You can also use their zimit tool to archive websites on your own as well.
It took a day for me to grasp all these concepts since they were designed mostly for Wikipedia archival purposes but it’s amazing how robust the tools and community are.
Totally agree. Unfortunately it’ll still be attacked as “government funded media” like NPR gets even though from my understanding what you’re describing sounds more international. And I’m sure there will always be pressure from countries demanding veto power or they’ll cut their funding similar to the issues the UN has, but we can’t let searching for the best solution keep us from implementing one that’s better than what we have now.