Research | Dubai Cares

Strong evidence is crucial for guiding policy and programming decisions across all agencies and organizations involved in education systems in. Robust research and evaluation provide the necessary evidence to make informed judgments, explore options, and make strategic decisions about the allocation of limited financial resources.

Dubai Cares places a high value on evidence as a fundamental driver of its work and advocacy. The organization utilizes robust research and data to inform its strategies, shape programs, and make strategic decisions that maximize impact. By actively supporting the generation and dissemination of high-quality evidence, Dubai Cares ensures that its initiatives are based on reliable insights. In addition, Dubai Cares promotes data equity, aiming to make evidence accessible and representative of all stakeholders. This commitment drives sustainable change in education systems globally.

Explore our research program:

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Vision for Talent in the 4th Industrial Revolution

Themetic: Youth Skills and Livelihoods

Partner: World Economic Forum

This programme addresses the growing mismatch between the supply and demand of future skills in the labour market by working with leading businesses, top universities, and the EdTech community to adopt a shared skills taxonomy and pilot its implementation across emerging economies. It focuses on advancing and scaling the work of the Future Skills Alliance through an ecosystem of partnerships among learning providers, employers, and governments. These partnerships aim to operationalise the Reskilling Revolution and accelerate the transition to a skills-based labour market by adopting a common language for skills, recognising skills-based credentials, partnering to deliver skills-based learning, and championing skills-based workforce strategies. This effort lays the foundation for an ambitious intermediate goal of at least 100 organisations adopting the skills taxonomy and at least 20 organisations piloting the Global Skills Passport framework by the end of 2023.

WASH in schools impact evaluation

Themetic: Water and Sanitation Facilities

Partner: Emory University

Dubai Cares commissioned an independent impact evaluation of its WASH in Schools programme in Mali to build robust evidence on how improved water, sanitation, and hygiene services affect children’s health and learning. Conducted by Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, the study assessed a multi-partner initiative with UNICEF, Save the Children, CARE, Oxfam GB, and WaterAid, covering over 900 schools. Our role focused on funding and facilitating this rigorous evaluation, which examined infrastructure upgrades, hygiene behaviour change, and their impact on student well-being. The findings showed significant improvements in access to safe water, sanitation, and handwashing facilities, along with reductions in self-reported diarrhoeal and respiratory symptoms. While attendance impacts were limited, the study provided actionable insights that informed national standards and helped partners mobilise additional resources to scale interventions. This investment reinforced Dubai Cares’ commitment to evidence-driven programming and systemic change in education and health.