DDP: Giving democracy a louder voice

South Africa’s Democracy Development Program (DDP) builds bridges between communities and government - now with the help of a Plone-powered web portal.

Background

The Democracy Development Program (DDP) is a South African non-profit that strengthens democracy by promoting active citizenship, dialogue, and accountable leadership. Working with civil society, youth, local municipalities, and political institutions, DDP fosters spaces for inclusive discussion and problem-solving.

Visit the site at ddp.org.za

Why Plone?

DDP’s new website was built using Plone 6 with a Volto front end. Plone was chosen because it offers:

  • Editor-first design: DDP’s team now has full control over their pages using Plone’s block-based editor

  • Structured, reusable content: News, resources, events, and stories can be reused across the site with minimal duplication

  • Flexible content rules: Automated workflows allow content to surface in the right places—without extra admin

  • Long-term sustainability: With no licensing fees and an active open source community, Plone was a future-minded choice

  • Accessibility and multilingual readiness: Important for a programme engaging with diverse South African audiences


Project goals

DDP’s previous website had become outdated and difficult to manage. They needed:

  • A platform that reflects their role in democratic development

  • Easy publishing tools for programme teams

  • A clear structure that supports storytelling and content reuse

  • A future-proof and secure foundation, without vendor lock-in

Project highlights

  • Media management: Editors can easily add and reuse images, reports, and videos across pages

  • Custom storytelling blocks: A flexible Hero block helps teams spotlight key messages or calls to action

  • Improved site structure: Programmes and themes now provide a clearer path for exploration, with tagging used to connect related content

  • Responsive and mobile-friendly: Designed to work seamlessly on all devices

Outcomes

Since launching the new site, DDP has:

  • Increased its ability to publish timely content and showcase event reports

  • Empowered more team members to take part in content creation

  • Created clearer entry points for stakeholders, funders, and community partners

  • Reduced long-term dependency on developers for everyday updates

Provider: Juizi, South Africa

The site was developed by Juizi, a South African web company with over 15 years’ experience building content-rich, editor-friendly websites for non-profits, research organisations, and membership-based institutions. Juizi's work focuses on helping organisations structure content in a way that supports long-term growth and editorial independence.

Juizi is very involved in the Plone community. Employees contribute to open source projects, speak regularly at international Plone Conferences and World Plone Day, and serve as Plone Foundation members, and serve on Plone teams.