In Guatemala, women are underrepresented in politics and face significant barriers to entry in the political arena, including discrimination and violence. Although women comprise 51 percent of the population, they only hold 15 percent, or 24 out of 158, of the seats in congress. To reduce obstacles and increase political participation, NDI trains women candidates and recently elected women to build skills to effectively govern and advocate for initiatives that are beneficial to all women.

Opposition-held areas in Syria provide an opening for civic activism and political expression that is not possible in parts of the country still controlled by the Assad regime. In these places, official government services no longer exist. To address this gap, NDI works with the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) and the Syrian Interim Government (SIG), which along with local councils have stepped in to act as governing bodies and provide much-needed services to communities in crisis.

Their ideas include an online platform to combat misinformation during Middle East and North Africa election campaigns, an app to support Arabic-speaking victims of domestic violence in the United States, and a blockchain-based system to protect property ownership rights in Libya.