In November and December, 2012, NDI held four, three-day training workshops for 96 women commune councilors from the ruling and opposition parties to strengthen their advocacy, message development and speaking skills and to build their capacity and influence within their parties and elected office. As a result of the workshops, women commune councilors were able to craft a political message and better define advocacy goals. The workshops also resulted in networking between elected women and civil society leaders, who together were able to identify common issues of concern and build advocacy plans based on those issues.