NDI has partnered with Code for All—a global network of organizations that believe in the power of digital technology to create positive impact in communities—to support the community’s growth and development. The Code for All network draws inspiration from the model of Code for America, which since 2009 has placed tech-savvy fellows in local governments to help improve service delivery and citizen engagement and has engaged networks of volunteers called “brigades” all over the United States to help make government more user friendly for citizens. Code for America launched Code for All in 2012, initially including four partners   in the U.S., Germany, Mexico and the Caribbean . The community has spread globally to include Code-for organizations in Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa and regionally in Africa. The network continues to grow.

Code for All chapters have already brought to life a wide array of projects that are impacting citizens on a variety of issues. Code for Pakistan has worked with disaster management agencies to redesign their online presence and streamline the provision of relief to disaster-stricken residents. Code for Germany’s local lab in Stuttgart came together to build cheap air quality sensors, distribute them to citizens throughout the city, and is now crowdsourcing air quality data in a city where air pollution has posed a significant public health issue. The Kenyan chapter of Code for Africa launched Dodgy Doctors, a tool to check that your local doctor is a registered physician, which addressed a widespread problem of fake doctors in the country and led to policy changes. Code for Japan built Papa Mama Map, a map of childcare centers and nursery schools in cities around Japan to allow new parents to find a facility that meets their child’s needs. And in Mexico City, Code for Mexico (Laboratorio para la Ciudad, the official innovation unit of the Mexico City government) has developed the first interactive moving map of private minibuses in the city, Mapatón. This is just a small sample of the projects that have been launched.

At the 2016 Code for America Summit in Oakland, California, NDI brought together representatives of each of the Code for All partners for a planning meeting. NDI is working with Code for All in a secretariat role, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, to onboard new member organizations, ramp up exchanges and sharing among network members, and expand resource mobilization to build and strengthen the community. This partnership builds off of past NDI work to help create networks of domestic election monitors, legislators and civil society organizations advocating for the openness of parliaments, and civic innovators in Latin America.