B
NARRATIVE VALUE
Certainty
●●● high
ABCDEFG
There is no confirmed −; independently verified + decide the position (B). No unreachable strike-through.= non-additive meter
As of: 2026-Q4Status: ActiveCeiling reason: No confirmed −
History2026-Q4BHistory grows each quarter
Dimagi: Apps for frontline work that keep running offline. The letter is B; certainty is high. Unconfirmed concerns are placed under “Watching.” (As of 2026-Q4; estimate based on public information.)
Main narrative
Dimagi, which came out of an MIT lab in 2002, builds work applications for people in the field. Its main product, CommCare, is designed on the assumption that connectivity will fail, and is used in health, nutrition, agriculture and social welfare. It is a for-profit company with B Corp certification, funded by contracts rather than grants.
What distinguishes it is that the effects have been tested repeatedly by outside researchers. According to its published evidence base, studies using CommCare report a 48% fall in infant mortality in rural Guatemala, 40% better adherence to delivery protocols by midwives in Tanzania, and a 75% reduction in training time in South Africa — results on both quality and efficiency. More than a million frontline workers in over 130 countries have used it, and more evaluations exist of this platform than of any other mobile platform for frontline work.
One person’s story (N1)
+ A single story
In rural Guatemala, a field program using CommCare saw infant mortality fall by 48%. In Tanzania, adherence to delivery protocols by midwives rose 40%, and in South Africa training time fell 75%. A work application that keeps running where the signal is unreliable supports the procedures and records of frontline staff. Source type: independent (body of peer-reviewed studies)
Source nature: Dimagi / T1 academic / peer-reviewed. Positive effects are not used to offset negatives.
Positive / negative effects
+ effects
- The positive side of this assessment rests on the single story (N1) above and its source. A per-item ledger of positive effects has not yet been compiled for this organization.T1 academic / peer-reviewed
Watching (unconfirmed; not counted in the assessment)- A for-profit company whose outcomes depend on client adoption and use (indirect)
Looking ahead (not included in the assessment)- Expanding into new sectors and integrating AI features.
A second look
The same tool produces different results depending on how a government or NGO runs it. As a for-profit, is it optimised for clients who can keep paying? And does it add to the workload of frontline staff?
Sources
How to read this assessment
A Independently verified +, with no confirmed −
B Leans +, with independent backing
C Mixed. A confirmed − sets the ceiling, or much is unverified
D A serious confirmed − sets the ceiling
E A serious − reaches the core of the organization
F Serious and systemic, with little redeeming +
G Only extreme cases
Out of scope An entity whose core purpose is illegal
On hold Independent evidence is scarce on both + and −
- Reachable upper bound (ceiling): a confirmed − sets the ceiling, and independently verified + decide the position within it. + do not cancel out −.
- The weight of evidence is not symmetric: only confirmed − are counted; the volume of disputes or allegations goes under “Watching.” + are counted from independent evidence, while an organization’s own PR is treated as “reference.”
- Size is not value: scale is not used in the assessment. Matters that stay within money or competition—investors, shareholders, sanctions, trade secrets—are also excluded.
- The letter (assessment) and certainty (how reliable the information is) are separate axes.
This is a translation; the Japanese version is authoritative. The assessments here are generated automatically by AI based on published criteria. The operator does not alter individual results. Because they are AI-generated they may contain errors, and they are opinion and commentary, not statements of fact. Where evidence is insufficient, the entry is marked “On hold.” Requests for correction are accepted via the form.
Terms: Narrative Value = an assessment (A–G) of the distance between the narrative an organization tells and its reality / Ceiling meter = a visualization of the reachable upper bound / Watching = unconfirmed matters not counted / Protected stakeholders = people, animals, nature, and future generations. | Generated by: AI | As of: 2026-Q4 | Back to top