Real world solutions with measurable results

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) is a teaching approach that assesses and groups students according to their learning level, not by age or grade, to help them catch up on foundational reading and math skills. Randomized controlled trials have proven TaRL to be among the highest-impact and most cost-effective learning interventions, with average test scores showing improvement roughly equal to an additional three years of high-quality schooling at a cost of $5 to $50 per student per year. DIV was an early funder of the TaRL approach, supporting its initial testing and subsequent scaling across multiple grants and geographies including in India, Zambia, Botswana and Ghana. Over 80 million children now benefit from TaRL-based approaches across Africa and South Asia.

The Graduation approach is a holistic livelihoods program designed to address the multidimensional needs of those living in extreme poverty. Over the past decade at USAID, DIV supported the testing and scaling of the Graduation approach across multiple grants and geographies. DIV’s investments helped accelerate massive investment and scale of the Graduation approach in new contexts, including catalyzing $21 million in external funding to adapt it for implementation at scale. The approach has now been implemented in more than 40 countries.

BURN's fuel-efficient cookstoves limit air pollution and reduce household spending by up to 30% every year. 6.3 million cookstoves have been sold to date, generating an estimated $2.3B in savings and improved health outcomes for more than 32 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. DIV, then at USAID, supported BURN Manufacturing with three grants to refine product design, increase production capacity, and expand to two new countries, enabling the company to achieve profitability.