Making connections

Progressio's approach to development work is about connecting with people and growing with them, writes Christine Allen.

It's the nature of organisations today that we need to look at how effective we are in our work and be able to demonstrate the difference that we are making. As a skill-share organisation, Progressio works closely with local partners in 11 developing countries through skilled professionals or 'development workers.' Currently, we have more than 90 in post.

And it's the relational aspect of the development worker placement that is so important. It starts where people are at and develops from there. It's not a question of someone (from the rich North) 'giving to' the partner in the South. It's more two-way. Indeed, many of our development workers are from the South, so our model of development is much more a process of mutual growth and learning.

The strapline that we use here at Progressio - changing minds: changing lives - sums up how we try to work. We seek to make a difference to the lives of people, especially those who are impoverished and marginalised, but how important it is also to affect attitudes, consciousness and understanding. This applies to the South as well as here in the North. It would be easy to say that 'changing minds: changing lives' means changing minds in the North and changing lives in the South, but the reality is more complex.

Yes, through development workers we can make a difference to the lives of people in the South and help partner organisations achieve real practical change for their communities. Yes, we want to raise awareness here in the North and encourage people to take action in solidarity and campaign. But equally, changing the attitudes and consciousness of those who are poor and marginalised, and those who work with them, can be a necessity for practical change to take place.

In the South, Progressio development workers have been actively involved in initiatives like the Somaliland 'Women in Decision Making Project'. The women who are now standing for Parliamentary election, or who are already political leaders in Somaliland, are the result of having their own consciousness raised, as well as having opportunities offered and structures opened to them. And likewise in the North, the recent livesimply challenge - which asked us to look hard at our lifestyles and choose to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor - brings home to us that it is not just how we think that matters, but how we act.

We can make practical changes to our lifestyles that can help not only the planet, but the people on it. Of course, it's not easy. Addressing lifestyle changes can be challenging. But listen to the example given by one Progressio development worker of indigenous Peruvians facing up to centuries of oppression, racism and abuse and our lifestyle challenges become set in a different context. To me, this means that we find different ways to live out our solidarity. It all takes place in very different cultural contexts but our overall purpose is to make both a mental and physical connection between people.

The papal encyclical Populorum Progressio, from which Progressio takes its name, talks about sending overseas not just experts but people who are 'tempered with love'. Their approach must not be domineering but respectful and seeking to work in a spirit of love.

Although Progressio development workers can be of all faiths and none, this approach is central to their work and mission. Through their stories, you can imagine the spirit of comradeship, solidarity and love that underpins the work they do and the relationships they have. Their impact is not just in the work they do, but so importantly in the way that they do it and the relationships they, and Progressio, have with organisations and people around the world. We are about helping people to grow in their knowledge, ability and capacity, but ultimately the success of our development work is based on us leaving, and people being able to continue to work without us.

Sustainable development means strengthening and supporting local people and organisations to be more effective in doing the work themselves. Whilst development workers may only be in a country for a couple of years, their legacy should last much longer. That's impact.

Christine Allen is Progressio's Executive Director.