Madeleine K. Albright Luncheon, "Women, Technology and Democracy", NDI

During the luncheon, NDI staff member, Hodan Ahmed of Somalia, talked about her experiences working with Somali women parliamentarians to address issues such as HIV/AIDS and a successful campaign with parliament and civil society representatives to enact a law barring female genital mutilation (FGM). Ahmed is the 2013 recipient of NDI's Andi Parhamovich Fellowship, named after an NDI staff member killed in Iraq in 2007 and awarded to a young woman from an NDI field office or partner organization who has advanced the political participation of women in her home country. "You can't make long-term improvements to peoples' lives without having the politicians and the political institutions make those issues a priority," said Ahmed. "This was such a remarkable victory for me personally. But I also know that it is not yet time to rest. We have a long way to go!"

You can also see her story published on NDI website with the following link: https://www.ndi.org/hodan-apf-story

You can also watch the entire luncheon discussion with the following link: https://www.ndi.org/mka-luncheon-2013