Progressio blog

Progressio's London-based Policy Officer, Fatima Haase, reflects on what she learnt about youth participation on a recent visit to El Salvador.

Ordinary people involved in determining the world they want to live in. That’s what comes to mind when I think about ‘community engagement’. It’s essential. If people don’t care about their world or speak out about their concerns, then politicians will not have cause to respond to their constituents.

The Live Below the Line challenge has been a huge success! Progressio supporters have raised almost £10,000. It's been a journey. One that has reminded us, once again, of why extreme poverty must end. Here's some highlights from the Live Below the Line blogs:

"Living Below the Line has, yet again, reminded me that my ability to worry about the decisions I've made is actually a luxury." Rebecca France

Lizzette Robleto reflects on the recent summit held in London focusing on how to End Sexual Violence in Conflict...

Here in the UK we have relative peace, access to support for survivors, health and social services and a robust and reliable judicial system. But women and girls still find it difficult to speak about rape or sexual abuse due to strong stigma, shame, and a culture of blaming the victim.

Lizzette Robleto reports from Haiti where she accompanied Lord Griffiths, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Haiti, and Rick Nimmo and Dominique Rees from the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union (BG-IPU).

Every time I go to Haiti I leave with a mixture of exhilaration and sadness. I always learn something new. This time, I learnt the saying ‘Men anpil, chay pa lou’ meaning ‘many hands make light work’. The proverb takes on great significance when you consider the incredible challenges the Haitian people face. 

Steven Msamala is an Administrator for Lakas Products, a long distance haulage company in Zimbabwe. Like any good employer, Lakas Products knows that taking care of its workforce is a top priority to guarantee a good service and high levels of productivity. So, when the company’s Workplace Health and Wellness programme became unaffordable, Steven grew increasingly concerned.   

At an event last night (25 March) in Parliament, young people had the opportunity to tell MPs of their experiences of unemployment and what they feel should be done.

Throughout the discussions the value of volunteering was a common theme with one young person commenting: "If it hadn’t been for volunteering all my talent would have gone down the drain."

I’ve just signed up to Live Below The Line, writes Esther Trewinnard, Progressio's communications officer. That means I’ll be sticking to a budget of just £5 for all my food and drink for 5 days (28 April – 2 May).

In reality, those of us taking part in the challenge will not come even close to an actual experience of persistent poverty. What’s five days compared to someone who lives their whole life below the poverty line week after week, month after month, year after year after year?