The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

As Nigeria prepares for presidential, legislative and governorate elections next month, a new short film, "My Vote Fit Change Naija,” urges Nigerians to vote as a peaceful means for promoting change in their country. The title, in the pidgin language popular throughout the country, means "my vote can change Nigeria."

NDI partnered with a Nigerian civil society organization, Youngstar Foundation, to produce the 13-minute film, which is being distributed across the country through a network of eight civil society groups specializing in voter education. Starring Julius Agwu and other well-known "Nollywood" stars (actors from the Nigerian film industry), the movie encourages Nigerians to vote as a way to improve conditions that impact their daily lives, such as jobs, roads, electricity and health care.

When a Roma camp in the northern, Serbian part of Kosovo’s divided city of Mitrovica was found to have lead contamination, the government built new houses for those affected in the south of the city. The new housing has gone unoccupied, however, as Roma have balked at moving into a new community without talking with residents in advance about how they would integrate into the area's economy, education system and other aspects of community life.

This is the sort of well-intentioned but less than effective initiative that government agencies tasked with Roma relations are trying to learn from and avoid in the future. A recent summit in Bucharest, Romania, attempted to do just that, convening policymakers from eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe who are responsible for carrying out national strategies for inclusion of Roma minorities, also known as Gypsies.