Tuwindi
TUWINDI Team
Mali | West Africa
Before Tuwindi existed, Mali's anti-corruption oversight body had almost no data. Citizens who had paid kickbacks to police, to courts, to local officials had no reliable way to report it, and the government agency tasked with fighting corruption had nothing to work with. Then Tuwindi built Kenekanko, a platform that lets citizens report corruption and human rights violations directly. The data it generated became a foundation the oversight body had never had. That work embodies what the word ‘tuwindi’ means in a local Malian language: to make known, or to share what you know with others. The organization began with a small group of young people who believed technology could be a tool for civic participation, not just personal use, and it has grown into an institution spanning media literacy, civic technology, fact-checking, and peace-building, built on the conviction that young people are far more engaged than they are assumed to be.
Kenekanko app
Kenekanko is one of two platforms Tuwindi has built to make civic participation concrete. The second, Wuya, a fact-checking tool, allows citizens to submit claims for verification, helping Tuwindi identify which sectors, including security and health, are most affected by misinformation. That data goes directly to journalist partners to inform their reporting. "We are able to know how much, really, goes on," said Executive Director Hawa Coulibaly.
For Project Assistant Fatoumata Aya Dembele, the clearest evidence of change is not in the platforms themselves. "Change became real when people began to see themselves as participants, and not only observers or spectators," she said. Many young people entering Tuwindi’s programs initially believed their opinions carried little weight. After participating in trainings and community dialogues, they gained the confidence to engage directly with local leaders, organize their own initiatives, and encourage others to do the same. "That transformation is powerful," Dembele said. "Change is not only about statistics. It is about people realizing that their voice matters."
Underneath every platform and every campaign is trust. The organization often works with young people and journalists operating in spaces where speaking openly carries real risk. "Sometimes we work with journalists who want to work on sensitive issues, but they are scared," Coulibaly said. Before any tool or campaign can work, Tuwindi has to build the kind of safety that allows people to use their voice at all. As Tuwindi joins African Collaborative as one of three Francophone organizations in this year's cohort, its work carries new reach: "These are really opportunities that allow us to build things within our own community," Dembele said, "and to be part of a greater and larger conversation that goes beyond our borders."
Visit Tuwindi's profile
