Water

People from all walks of life have been standing in solidarity with those living in extreme poverty in Zimbabwe and around the world, through Progressio’s ZimFare and ZimFast challenges. Participants are invited either to fast for six days on a monotonous and nutritionally poor Zimbabwean diet with ZimFast, or host a Zimbabwean-themed meal with ZimFare, in order to raise vital funds and awareness for Progressio.

Gill has been involved in fundraising for over thirty years and is now working with Progressio on their 75th Anniversary Appeal. In this blog Gill describes her experience of her participation in ZimFast, one of Progressio’s Lent fundraising challenges. By fasting for 6 days on a simple Zimbabwean diet, Gill stood in solidarity with people living in poverty in Zimbabwe and around the world, and raised an incredible £665 for Progressio!

Progressio recently joined more than 9,000 people and 50 organisations at the UK’s largest ever mass climate lobby in Westminster. Having successfully lobbied 330MPs in one afternoon, the event aimed to influence government decisions ahead of the announcement of the Sustainable Development Goals in September, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21) in December, where world leaders will meet to agree a legally binding and universal agreement on climate.

Development Worker Diego Matsvange discusses some of the water issues and challenges facing Zimbabwe and the community he is currently working in as an Agro-ecology, Product Development and Market Linkages Adviser, alongside local partner organisation Environment Africa Zimbabwe.

What does water mean to you?

Tonight (3 March 2014) Channel 4's popular tv programme Food Unwrapped is scheduled to include coverage of the Peruvian asparagus industry that was the focus of Progressio research into sustainable water resource management in 2010.  

El Salvador’s President of the Legislative Assembly, Sigfrido Reyes, has expressed his support for post-2015 development goals on good governance, women’s equality and water access for all – especially small farmers – at a meeting with Progressio Chief Executive Mark Lister.

Progressio's Environment Policy Officer, Lis Wallace, writes:

I've always been an avid baker. When I want to bake a cake, the first thing I do is open the cupboards and check that I have enough of the essential ingredients: flour, margarine, sugar or eggs. If you're an expert baker then you’ll know that some or all of these ingredients can be substituted, but please stick with me – it's the analogy that's important here.