On the streets of Dili a group of young boys run a bicycle repair shop. Forty per cent of the population lives on less than $1 a day, so every extra penny is vital. Dili, East Timor, 2010
Who We Are
Progressio Ireland is an independent Irish international development organisation that is part of the Progressio family. Through our skill-sharing and development worker programme we work in partnership with local organisations in 11 countries to empower people and facilitate their active participation in their own development. Contributing to structural policy change at a global level is fundamental to our work. Our key areas are participation/ effective governance and sustainable environment.
Our Vision
Building on 70 years of experience in development within the Progressio family and inspired by our Catholic roots, we believe that poor and marginalised people can gain the power to transform their lives.
Our Mission
To support people gaining power over their lives and overcome the barriers that keep them poor.
Our Values
Respect
We respect every person’s inherent dignity and right to justice. This requires us to ensure fairness and equity in everything we do. At the heart of our work is fair and sustainable use of the earth and its resources.
Solidarity
We stand in partnership with poor and marginalised people to support them in achieving their rights and challenging unfair systems. We bring people together from the global South and North, from all faiths and none.
Passion
Poverty is an outrage. We believe people can change their own lives for the better, and we act with commitment and conviction to see poverty eradicated. We mobilise people from different countries to campaign and act – because every step, however small, helps to achieve lasting change.
Boldness
We are bold and innovative, bringing together values of dignity and social justice with a strong, practical understanding of development. We recognise that relentless determination combined with high calibre work makes the most impact.
What We Do
Key Areas of Our Work
Progressio Ireland contributes to structural change at a global level by challenging policies and practices within the Irish, UK and wider European context, and by forming strategic alliances with global movements for change.
Progressio facilitates and supports people in the processes of taking ownership of their own development and in having their voices heard. We work at tackling the root causes of poverty by helping people in poor and marginalised communities build sustainable livelihoods. At an international level, we support and supplement the voices of our partners to change the systems, structures and policies that perpetuate poverty in developing countries. The key areas of our work are:
- Sustainable environment
- Participation and effective governance
How We Do It
- Our approach combines skill-sharing with advocacy work and encouraging policy change;
- Progressio contributes to long-term development by working closely with local organisations and grassroots movements, not by imposing solutions or just giving money;
- Our work is implemented through our long-term development worker programme. Our development workers are based in local communities where they support partner organisations in building specifically required skills. A Progressio development worker is an experienced and professionally qualified person, who brings long-term practical change to the communities in which they operate. They volunteer to work for local salaries and also bring back their learning to their country of origin.
- In Ireland and Europe Progressio is working on changing attitudes and behaviours through advocacy and lobbying and by critically raising awareness on development topics.
- The success of our development work is measured by people and organisations being able to continue to work effectively after our development workers have finished their placement.
Where We Work
The Progressio family works in Ireland and Europe and currently in 11 countries abroad:
Funding
How is Progressio Ireland Funded?
Progressio is currently totally dependent on private donations, from companies and individuals therein. We had previously been on a block grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs, (Irish Aid) and hope to be in receipt of renewed funding in the near future.
Where Does my Money Go?
A large portion of Progressio Ireland’s administrative costs are carried by our sister company in the UK. Thus a very large percentage of available funds go directly to our projects in our developing countries. Skilled personnel are a large consumer of our funds. The average 3-year cost for Progressio to place a Development Worker in a project country is €70,000, with €30,000 in costs the first year and €20,000 in the second and third years.
Please have a look at the transparency section of our homepage to find more details in a number our annual reports, financial statements and evaluations.
Why Donate to Progressio?
Your generous donation changes lives. Progressio is a small charitable organisation. We work with manageable budget sizes. An example of one of our current projects is in North East Haiti. The entire two year budget is €100,000. Thus €100 upwards will make a difference to reaching our target and changing the lives among two communities in this area. Your money will go towards planting seeds to supply fruit and vegetables, irrigation methods to water their crops and the supply of skilled Development Workers who will manage the project in conjunction with local partners expert in project implementation.
Many people in the developing world live without the basic tools to live a stable, sustainable life. By donating to us, you fund the work of our skilled development professionals who work with poor and marginalised people to provide them with skills and education to build sustainable communities. Your money is essential in giving disadvantaged people the ability to have greater influence over their own lives by teaching them to assert themselves politically, to develop environmentally-friendly resource management techniques, and to educate them on the dangers of diseases such as HIV/AIDS. By donating to Progressio, you help work toward a sustainable and just world.
History
Progressio Ireland is one of the newest members of the Progressio family which was founded in the UK in 1940 as a response by lay Catholics to the injustices being felt in Europe at that time, particularly through the spread of fascism. Progressio Ireland was established as independent organisation in Ireland in 2005 as it was recognised that the work of the Progressio family could be strengthened through having an additional base within Ireland.
The Progressio family pioneered the era of foreign aid workers by fostering the modern concept of development workers as people who train and educate rather than simply engage in hand-outs. Progressio Ireland’s basic principles are rooted in the values of Catholic Social Teaching, but are combined with secular development thinking.
Progressio has over the years also been operating under the names of “Catholic Institute for International Relations” and “International Cooperation for Development”.
