Development Media International
SUNRISE: Early Childhood Development in Burkina Faso

Development Media International

Introduction to DMI

Development Media International (DMI) runs evidence-based social and behaviour change campaigns to save lives in low-income countries. It is a non-profit organisation headquartered in London, with regional offices in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. DMI’s focus areas include child survival, early childhood development (ECD), nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, and family planning. DMI’s methodology can be applied to a wide range of issues, provided they are relevant to the majority of the population reached, the behaviour change is feasible and, if required, there is adequate supply side provision.

Evidence base

DMI was founded to bring the rigour of epidemiology to media campaigns. We are committed to testing the impact of our campaigns using rigorous evaluation methods, and then taking our most effective campaigns to scale to maximise impact and cost-effectiveness. DMI is the first organisation to demonstrate through a randomised controlled trial (RCT), carried out in Burkina Faso from 2012-2015, that mass media interventions can change behaviours. The RCT showed that DMI’s radio campaign led to dramatic increases in parental treatment-seeking behaviours in intervention zones compared to controls, which corresponded to 3,000 children’s lives saved (Murray et al., 2018).

Value for money

DMI prides itself on providing high value for money for donors. Economic analysis conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that DMI’s child survival intervention is among the most cost-effective methods of saving children’s lives available (Kasteng et al., 2018).

From 2014-2021 GiveWell, an independent evaluator of not-for-profits, consistently rated DMI as a “standout charity” based on our health impact, evidence base and cost-effectiveness. DMI is also rated as one of The Life You Can Save’s  “Best Charities”. These represent some of the most cost-effective non-profit organisations in the world.