NDI will honor the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone with this year's Madeleine K. Albright Award. Founded in 2000 to promote greater participation of women in politics, the 50/50 Group has grown from a handful of women meeting in borrowed space in Freetown to a nationally recognized organization actively engaged in building a new post-war Sierra Leone. Its efforts in advance of the country’s 2002 elections contributed to a dramatic increase in opportunities for women to run as candidates and play more meaningful roles in their political parties. The organization has influenced the country’s legislative agenda, built a network of talented women to run for office, and played a key role in mobilizing women in August’s national elections.