J-PAL, Pratham teaching programme in Africa receives inaugural Co-Impact funding, will reach 3 million people

• USD 80 million funding from Co-Impact is being shared between four initiatives, including Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa, a joint programme between the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Indian NGO Pratham
• TaRL is a proven pedagogical approach that assesses children’s reading and mathematics skills using a simple tool and then regroups students according to learning level rather than age or grade
• J-PAL, Pratham and TaRL Africa partners will reach 3 million with this funding
  

A joint initiative between the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Indian non-governmental organisation Pratham – Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa – is one of five initiatives to have been awarded a collaborative grant of more than USD 80 million from Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative for systems change. This collaborative grant is expected to improve the lives of an estimated 9 million people over the next five years across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, with the TaRL Africa programme alone reaching 3 million. Co-Impact has committed funding to each programme partner alongside ongoing technical support and help to secure additional financing.

TaRL is a proven pedagogical approach that assesses children’s reading and mathematics skills using a simple tool and then regroups students according to learning level rather than age or grade. The Africa programme will support governments and partners to develop locally effective approaches to help all children read and do basic mathematics, and develop the essential foundation for lifelong learning.

“Teaching at the Right Level Africa is part of J-PAL’s ongoing efforts to tackle poverty and improve lives on a global scale. We are thrilled to share in the collaborative grant from Co-Impact that is expected to impact the lives of an estimated 9 million people over the next five years. At J-PAL, we believe in evidence-based pedagogical approaches to empower children and develop their foundational skills,” said Fady Jameel, President of Community Jameel International.

The other grant recipients are Liberia’s National Community Health Assistant Program, The Graduation Approach, Project ECHO, and citiesRISE.

Co-Impact – launched in November 2017 by Giving Pledge founding director Olivia Leland – invests in initiatives with proven leaders and results that are poised to bring about a step change in transforming broken systems, on a scale that can improve the lives of millions of people and sustain those changes over time. Co-Impact’s support comes at a time in the development of an initiative when it is well-positioned to activate a coalition of actors to address underlying systemic limitations, unlocking large-scale change.

Community Jameel, the social enterprise organisation, has partnered with J-PAL since 2005, shortly after it was set up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to tackle the root causes of poverty, including issues related to health, education, youth employment, and financial inclusion.

J-PAL has a track-record of leveraging insights gained from its research to support policymaking around the world, including in the Middle East, where J-PAL has active and completed research projects and local partnerships to support policymaking in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.

To date, J-PAL affiliated researchers have conducted more than 990 evaluations in 80 countries, and more than 400 million people have been reached by programs tested and found to be effective through J-PAL evaluations. The organisation has been instrumental in increasing the number and quality of randomised evaluations on development interventions.

For more information on J-PAL and its work, visit: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/