Boy with globe, stimulation therapy, Zimbabwe © Jo Spall/Progressio

Development involves the struggle for a more equitable distribution of power and wealth. It means turning people's rights — to health and education, adequate housing, work and freedom of expression and association — into reality.

Progressio (formerly known as CIIR) is active in 11 countries — four in Africa and the Middle East, six in Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Timor. Progressio's development workers (DWs) are recruited in Britain and other European countries, North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East.

Progressio seeks concrete ways of strengthening the efforts of people as they work towards socially just development. We work with local organisations and governments in a huge range of projects that they control. It is our partners who set the agenda.

That is why in each country where we work, Progressio has an office run by a full-time representative chosen for their commitment to development and understanding of the local context. Working closely with staff in our London office, the country representative's task is to build partnerships with local development groups and respond to their requests for assistance. He or she will consult with local organisations in assessing projects and deciding what kind of technical input is most valuable.

We aim to ensure that projects:

• benefit the poor
• have a clear gender perspective
• promote self-reliance
• transfer skills
• challenge the causes of poverty.

If the need for technical input is agreed, we recruit the best person for the challenging job of fitting in to someone else's project. Development workers must be confident of their own skills yet capable of learning new ones from local people. And they must be respectful of culture. By recruiting more and more professionals from the regions where we work, we are sharing skills and experiences across geographical boundaries.

For all our partners, Progressio's support makes an important difference. We can provide skills and knowledge that are difficult to acquire nationally, helping partners overcome the structural inequalities that limit their ability to improve production, for example, or to find markets for their goods. Our support may help an organisation communicate more effectively, bringing information and analysis to groups ignored or misrepresented by mainstream media. And it may be an important component in strengthening a partner's efforts to empower women or change the attitudes of men.

Find out about working with Progressio.

Progressio is a member of the British Volunteer Agencies Liaison Group (BVALG), which links the work of UK-based volunteer sending agencies. BVALG aims to share the experience of its members and promote discussion about topics related to their work in development. The other BVALG members are:

International Service
Skillshare International
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

For more information about BVALG email Stella Hobbs, BVALG coordinator