Development Media International

Who we are

ABOUT DEVELOPMENT MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

Development Media International (DMI) delivers mass media campaigns to promote health in developing countries. It is the first organisation to scientifically prove that mass media can change life-saving behaviours. It recently completed a 5-year, £7m randomised controlled trial in West Africa which showed that 35% more children were taken for treatment for malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia. Child mortality was reduced by 6.3% as a result. DMI is ranked as one of the most cost-effective non-profit organisations in the world by GiveWell.

We currently have operations in eight countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger and Tanzania) as well as projects coming on-stream in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. We have two priorities: to continue to generate ground-breaking research (we are conducting another major scientific trial to measure our impact on contraceptive uptake) while taking proven strategies to the largest possible scale, saving as many lives as possible. We work across the range of health issues, including child survival, reproductive health, nutrition and hygiene and we’re developing some exciting new ideas, including early childhood development.

We work in close partnership with leading experts in health, including WHO, UNICEF and LSHTM and we are funded by some of the world’s most prestigious organisations, including the Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, DFID, Comic Relief, the Global Innovation Fund and the Mulago Foundation.

DMI is an innovative and rapidly growing organisation, working at the nexus between science and creativity. There are 14 staff in its London office, overlooking the Regents Canal. What makes us distinctive is our intellectual rigour, enthusiasm and willingness to learn from both our successes and our mistakes. We believe we are on the cutting edge of how international development should work, showing – for example - not only that knowledge is a human right, but that it’s also a very efficient way of saving lives. Our ethos is non-hierarchical: all our staff are intellectually high-powered and it’s a “best idea wins” culture. By working at DMI you will have a genuine, measurable impact on improving lives in low-income countries.