A wealth of research, primarily in high income countries, has accumulated in recent years evaluating teacher effectiveness and the processes through which teachers' performance and job satisfaction can be improved (e.g., Pianta, Mashburn, Downer, Hamre & Justice, 2008; Ross, 1992; 1995). Much less is known about how these processes operate for teachers in low-income countries, where schools may be located in high conflict areas with low resources that can pose strains on teachers, students and their interactions. In the past several years, there has been a growing interest in rigorous evaluation research in developing countries to help inform policy and practice. This paper applies rigorous methodology to consider the question of whether and how an intervention can improve teachers' motivation, job satisfaction and professional development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The current study is part of OPEQ (Opportunities for Equitable Access to High Quality Basic Education), a 5-year project aimed at improving teachers' motivation and performance, and elementary school children's numeracy, literacy and socio-emotional wellbeing in 3 provinces of the DRC (i.e., Katanga, North Kivu and South Kivu), through curriculum development, teacher training and community mobilization. The main purpose of the current paper is to better understand teacher practices and classroom processes in low-income, war-afflicted countries such as the DRC. It presents baseline information on teachers' criticism of school, burnout, motivation and job satisfaction; examines how these processes can be affected by an intervention that targets teachers' and students' social emotional needs, and provides instructional support to teachers in math and reading; and presents preliminary impacts on teachers' burnout, motivation and job satisfaction after one pilot year of program implementation. An appendix contains a table and figure.