Without a special traffic light that emits an audible signal, people who are blind or have low vision may risk their lives by the simple act of crossing streets. Such audible signals are expensive, particularly in Moldova, which is Europe’s poorest country. A civic group in Soroca, a city in northern Moldova, didn’t let this stop them. Thanks to their successful advocacy, the quality of life for Soroca’s large community of  blind citizens is improving and inspiring further community involvement.

Identifying the Issues

On November 12, 2015, the Malian National Assembly adopted a historic gender quota bill. The new law, which requires that at least 30 percent of elected or appointed officials be women, is a result of concerted action to reverse several years of negative trends in women’s   representation in positions of power.

Georgia witnessed a chilling bout of violence against women and domestic violence in 2014. Almost every month, at least one woman was murdered by her partner, husband or ex-boyfriend. The deaths of many of these women, often at knifepoint or by gunshot, orphaned children who had no other responsible caregivers.

NDI celebrates the news that Anar Mammadli and 13 other political prisoners regained their freedom in Azerbaijan on March 17. Mammadli was arrested in December 2013, shortly after his organization, the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), released a report that criticized how the presidential election was conducted earlier that year. Although no evidence of wrongdoing was ever produced, Mammadli was convicted and sentenced. He served two and a half years in prison.