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Understanding CLA

What is it?

Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) is a set of practices that help us improve our development effectiveness. Learning has always been part of USAID’s work, and most USAID missions and implementing partners are already practicing CLA in some way. Our aim now is to make CLA more systematic and intentional throughout the Program Cycle, and to dedicate the resources necessary to make it happen.

Guidance and Tools

Podcasts

How USAID is Hacking International Development from the Inside Out — The first episode of the CLA at USAID podcast series interviews four development practitioners responsible for shaping and evaluating the impact of CLA and discusses how it empowers development practitioners to use continuous learning and adaptation to strengthen their strategies and programs.

How (and Why) is USAID Learning? — This episode of the CLA at USAID podcast zeroes in on the “L” in CLA--learning--at the project and organizational levels. Listen in as this episode explains how a resilience project uses data collected via mobile communication technology to inform real-time program adaptations and follow along as USAID monitoring, evaluation, research and learning specialists discuss learning agendas.