Faida Phiri and Patrica Mtungila, two recent graduates of NDI’s Next Generation: Youth Leaders’ Academy, are great examples of what can happen when young women leaders invest in themselves. As young civil society organization (CSO) leaders, they joined the academy to become better advocates for Malawi’s women and girls. Having graduated in June, they are moving on to bigger, brighter visions for themselves and their communities. 

As Tanzania prepares for local elections in 2024 and the general election in 2025, there are hopes for democratic gains with political and electoral reforms that strengthen multiparty democracy. These hopes are based on the ascension of Tanzania’s first female president in 2021, who promised political reconciliation and governance reforms for the country's development.

The online and social media space has transformed the information landscape over the last decade. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become a hub for citizen engagement, creating opportunities for active citizens to collaborate in pursuing change. Despite this, the online space is also being used to disrupt the integrity of information, and undertake cybersecurity attacks that add to existing tensions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

NDI’S Kosovo podcast, which encompasses a range of topics including but not limited to digital democracy, the impact of misogyny and sexism as a weapon against women in politics, the prevalence of foreign influences, and the role of journalists in the information war, released its first season in June of 2022. NDI’s Kosovo team works to reinforce and safeguard democracy in the region by working against misleading information and examining how it impacts the international sphere.