Under a dusty sky in Marrakech, 80 families looked on as construction vehicles demolished the shanty town they once called home. The families, who had long struggled on the margins of this vibrant city, greeted the demolition not with fear but with hope. They knew that, once the rubble had cleared, in its place would rise new and affordable homes for their families thanks to the vigorous advocacy efforts of their member of parliament (MP), Milouda Hazib.

The description of Anne Marie Makombo’s blog reads: “Because your perspective counts. I created this blog to share with you what’s happening in the world, especially in my country the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).”

As Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) prepared to go to the polls on Oct. 12, seven prominent civil society organizations from across the country coalesced under the banner of “Pod Lupom – Koalicija za slobodne i postene izbore” (Under the Magnifying Glass – Coalition for Free and Fair Elections) – to mobilize broad-based citizen oversight of the election process.