Progressio Ireland is an international development organisation that works toward "

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

and the eradication of poverty in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia".''Role out of LiveSimply Education and Information Project''. Progressio Ireland. December 2007. Retrieved with permission 1 November 2010. Founded in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in 2004, the organisation stresses a “skill-share” approach to development practices in n supporting the work of local organisations by providing the tools and education to develop long-term solutions to barriers to

and

resource management In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective development of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include the financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or ...

in its 10 project countries. Progressio employs "development workers", who work on site with the local organisations and communities and share their skills. It emphasises

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

, rather than other shorter-term solutions, to development issues. Progressio aims to provide communities with the skills and knowledge necessary to solve the problems that both stand in the way of development and marginalise the poor.

History

Progressio Ireland is a sister company of Progressio, a UK-based international development charity. Progressio was founded in 1940 as “Sword of the Spirit,” a movement aimed at translating the principles of

Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching (CST) is an area of Catholic doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. It addresses oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, social justice, and w ...

into practical action. In 1965 the name was changed to the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR). The name “Progressio” is taken from the 1967

Encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

, '' Populorum Progressio'', or, “the development of peoples.” The document stresses social responsibility toward a just world and confronts the challenges to development. Progressio Ireland was founded in 2004 with the purpose of promoting

techniques in

underdeveloped countries The least developed countries (LDCs) are developing countries listed by the United Nations that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development. The concept of LDCs originated in the late 1960s and the first group of LDCs was listed b ...

, providing the tools for sustainable

self-governance Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority (sociology), authority. It may refer to pers ...

, and contributing to debate on development issues within

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Philosophy

The vision of Progressio Ireland is to “bring about a just world, where people can have life in all its fullness, where

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

are respected, where all have their basic needs met and can exert control over their lives.” The organisation is founded on

Catholic Social Teaching Catholic social teaching (CST) is an area of Catholic doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. It addresses oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, social justice, and w ...

and Progressio endorses this history and relationship. However, Progressio Ireland itself is not formally part of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. They provide their services to all people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Progressio Ireland states: “We work with people of all faiths and none.”

Development goals and strategies

Progressio seeks to promote “People Powered Development”''People Powered Development''. Strategic Framework 2010-2015. Progressio Ireland. Retrieved with permission 2 November 2010. in the areas they conduct their operations. The ultimate goal of the organisation is to improve the lives of the world’s poor by supporting skill and education programs that provide them with the “resilience and resourcefulness to be the authors of their own development.” Three areas that Progressio has outlined as key factors for this process for 2010-2015 are: Participation and effective governance, sustainable environment, and

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

education and research. Progressio employs “development workers” that serve local communities providing expertise, knowledge, and support to the poor and marginalised. These development workers are professionally qualified, with training in their field. Progressio Ireland also engages in

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

and campaigning to change existing political and social structures in developed and underdeveloped regions.

Current projects

Progressio Ireland currently has operations in Ireland as well as 10 countries in various regions of the world: * Latin America Operations:

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

* Africa Operations:

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

Somaliland Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...

and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

* Caribbean Operations:

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

* Middle East Operations:

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

* Southeast Asia Operations:

Timor-Leste Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

Ireland

Progressio’s work in

is primarily focused on developing campaigning and advocacy work rooted in the work of Progressio in the 10 countries they support internationally. Progressio is currently working on a ''Live''Simply campaign that promotes environmentally and socially responsible lifestyles, as well as the Act Now on 2015 campaign in conjunction with Dóchas to increase Ireland's

foreign aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...

budget.

Procurement Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual ...

of illegally logged timber in Ireland and the UK is also currently a focus of Progressio. In 2008, Progressio Ireland began to apply pressure to the

Irish government The Government of Ireland () is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the , which consists of ...

to introduce ethical considerations into National Pension Reserve Fund guidelines after discovering the organisation had invested nearly €578 million in

-linked companies, indirectly funding

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...

’s regime.

Latin America

In Latin America, much of Progressio’s concentration is on the issues of

, specifically water distribution and

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

, which Progressio has likened to the

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, exce ...

in terms of how it is conducted and the damage it causes.

Africa

In Africa, Progressio Ireland’s work is diverse, ranging from food distribution efforts in

to human rights abuses in

. The organisation focuses on improving illiteracy rates, especially among women, improving farming practices, broadening access to energy systems, applying pressure to governments accused of

human rights abuses Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning t ...

, as well as other relief efforts.

Caribbean

Progressio Ireland’s work in the Caribbean focused on

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

, and supports a bi-national approach to work in

and the

. They seek to promote

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for t ...

in the region as well as ensuring that Haitians’ rights are respected on the Haiti/Dominican Republic border. Currently Progressio is focused on building up the strength of the work within

, while maintaining the bi-national approach.

Middle East

In the Middle East, the current focus of the organisation is dealing with

. Specifically Progressio Ireland deals with

awareness and documentation in the face of government obstruction, as well as increasing the role of women in society and protecting their rights.

Southeast Asia

Progressio's presence in Southeast Asia is concentrated in

. Progressio Ireland works to maintain the peace process in this region following the

Indonesian occupation of East Timor The Indonesian occupation of East Timor began in December 1975 and lasted until October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese Timor, Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor, the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal led to the decolonisation of ...

of 1975–1999. Their goal is to facilitate the establishment of a strong civil society capable of holding local and national governments to account.

References

{{reflist Development charities based in the Republic of Ireland