Development Media International (DMI) is an NGO (with both non-profit and for-profit arms) that "use[s] scientific modelling combined with mass media campaigns in order to save the greatest number of lives in the most cost-effective way."
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Activities
DMI designs and implements television and radio campaigns in developing countries to promote healthy behaviours in the target audience. At present, their goal is to focus on reducing preventable child mortality by promoting practices such as sleeping under treated bednets, giving children antibiotics when they have pneumonia, or giving people oral rehydration therapy.
Issues of focus
DMI is currently focused on messaging that would address the leading causes of death in underdeveloped countries. Whereas the focus in developed countries is on promoting healthy behaviors such as avoidance of smoking or road traffic safety, communicable diseases are still the leading cause of death and morbidity in underdeveloped countries, and DMI's public messaging is aimed at encouraging people to take appropriate measures to prevent and check the spread of these diseases. Their main issues of focus as of now are:
Countries of focus
DMI has launched a fundraising initiative called Media Million Lives, which aims to launch nationwide media campaigns to reduce child and maternal mortality in ten high-burden African countries. DMI has worked with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to develop a mathematical model to predict the number of under-five lives that can be saved each year by running nationwide media campaigns in a number of African countries. The model predicts that these campaigns can reduce under-five mortality by as much as 23%. Some examples of estimates of the annual number of under-five lives saved include:
In April 2014, DMI published midline results from a randomized controlled trial that it is conducting in Burkina Faso to prove that a radio campaign alone can reduce under-five mortality by 15.7%. The evaluation of the RCT is being carried out by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Partnerships
DMI is a member of the The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Its funders include the Wellcome Trust, the Planet Wheeler Foundation, and the Mulago Foundation. Previous funders include the United States Agency for International Development, the UK Department for International Development, and others.
Media reception
Will Snell of DMI appeared on a panel sponsored by The Guardian (a UK newspaper) on careers in international development. Additionally, Roy Head, CEO of DMI, gave an interview to The Guardian.
Daniel Avis of SOAS Radio interviewed Roy Head, CEO of DMI, on World Radio Day to discuss DMI's work.