National Endowment for Democracy: Rebuilding Basra

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a “private, non-profit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions” worldwide. Based in Washington, D.C., NED was created with support from both Democrats and Republicans, and “enjoys Congressional support across the political spectrum.”

As part of its work encouraging civil society’s growth within Iraq, NED commissioned a video about the civil society activism of Fatima Al-Bahadly, who founded the Al-Firdaws Society. Al-Firdaws was initially established to promote women’s rights and political empowerment; now, Al-Firdaws also offers political training programs open to all within the Basra region. Working with footage provided by Iraqi counterparts who conducted local filming, Changeworx completed post-production.

Two versions, of 15 minutes and 5 minutes, were created for use by NED and its many partner organizations for promoting democratic practices and similar activism worldwide. Among other venues, Fatima: Rebuilding Basra was recently featured by the The Forum on Women, Religion, Violence, and Power at The Carter Center.