Today, there were over a 1,000 children waiting when we showed up in Mahundapur, a slum outside of Delhi with our colleagues from Believers Church. When you are doing vitamin interventions with chronically malnourished children, you can be assured that a multitude of other health problems will be present so it has been wonderful to have Dr. Alan Greene, a world-class pediatrician, and his son, Garrett, join us on the trip.

I introduced Alan and of course immediately afterward, when the vitamin A and prenatal distributions began, Alan had a line of mothers waiting to see him. There is no medical help in this slum at all. Chronic malnutrition was readily apparent and Alan came across a variety of health concerns: skin problems, respiratory problems, ear infections, hearing loss, widespread stunting (small for their age), wasting (low weight for their age), epilepsy and arthritis. The good and bad news is that so many of these problems are related to micronutrient deficiency; some can be easily turned around now with vitamin interventions, and a number could have been avoided had we gotten here sooner with the proper vitamins. It's all the more reason to push onward and continue expanding our reach. This year we will be reaching one million children in India - we need your help to make it happen!

It was wonderful seeing the mothers and their children. For me meeting the children and getting to make a connection the people is what this work is all about, but the reality of their situation is always sobering. Vitamin Angels alone can't reach every mother or child in need, which is the reason why we need partners like Believers Church to accomplish our goals. These people speak the language, know the customs, and live in these communities. Our projects would not be possible without them.

Tomorrow we're on a plane to a remote region North of Kolkata (see map) to observe more distributions and meet more of our beneficiaries.
 

Pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene joins Howard in India from Vitamin Angels on Vimeo.

We’re in Northeastern India. This is a tea growing region – a remnant of British rule in India dating back to the East India Company. The tea workers are migrant laborers that came over some generations ago from Bhutan (just across the border) and Nepal (30 miles away). Though there is an economy in this area, unfortunately, the migrants, like in other areas of the world, are not recognized or given any rights by the Indian government.  There are no schools, no medical facilities, and definitely no nutritional support. This is where our partners at Believers’ Church, and their outreach program, ‘Bridges of Hope,’ are providing such a crucial service to this community.

Believers’ Church has been working in Bagdogra, a tea growing community, for the past 5 years. We’ve been working with them to provide vitamin A for several years and recently added a prenatal campaign. This morning about 300 mothers, fathers, and children showed up for the vitamin distribution. Social workers from Bridges of Hope had translated our posters into the local language and posted them all over the community, announcing today’s distribution. In preparation for the day’s distribution, they also went door-to-door offering educational programs about nutrition and the role of vitamin A and prenatals for those new to the community and for anyone else they haven’t yet reached. Their goal is 100% coverage.

Some of the women expressed concern about the prenatal vitamins, as they usually shy away from medicine during pregnancy. It has been wonderful having Dr. Alan Greene with us, as he was able to explain to some of the mothers that the prenatal vitamins have all of the important nutrients that they get from food and so are safe to take during pregnancy.

We’re on our way home via Kolkata and Delhi – it’s been a great trip! – and, hopefully, we have given you a glimpse into the workings of our vitamin A project (Operation 20/20) and prenatal vitamin project (part of Thrive to Five) here in India. We welcome your comments and questions! You can post here on our blog or our Facebook page. We would love to dialogue with you directly about our projects and about the continuing need for vitamin supplementation in India and around the world.
 

Vitamin Angels' partner Prince Josiah with Believers' Church from Vitamin Angels on Vimeo.

Today we were out working with our colleague, Dr. Pradeep N. Sawardekar and the Child Eye Care Charitable Trust in Mandkhurd slum located on the outskirts of Mumbai, directly next to a major thoroughfare on the way to New Bombay. Mandkhurd is characterized as a 'new slum' meaning it has not been recognized by the government, is only a few years old (as opposed to generational slums throughout Mumbai) and can be bulldozed down by the police at any time. Presently there are over 30,000 people living in Mandkhurd, mostly migrants from the North (Bihar and Gujarat) who have left their tribal communities to try to find work in the city.

The poverty is striking before you even enter and only gets worse as you walk around. Homes are ramshackle affairs, tin and cardboard, plastic tarps, mud floors, raw sewage and dead rats can be seen in the narrow walkways between buildings and garbage is everywhere. There is no water source, so people wait with 5 gallon plastic containers for water trucks selling water to arrive. One of the mothers told us that people here sometimes get water from open sewage pipes. We saw a group of girls playing and lowering buckets down a narrow, almost empty, well to pull up water that looked questionable at best and most likely polluted and dangerous. There is some commerce here; guys stitching together sacks, kids making wire brushes out of pounded nails and a foundry making metal rods. Still these people have so little and the diet is largely dahl (lentils) and roti (tortillas).

In the midst of this precarious environment, Dr. Shilpa Bhatte and her crew of health care workers are doing incredible work. Dr. Bhatte was one of Dr. Pradeep’s students, and has now dedicated her life to helping the poorest of the poor in India. She organized a base-line door to door survey in this community and found that 74% of the children under 5 are malnourished with 39% showing grade 3 (quite severe) chronic malnutrition.

We visited a prenatal nutrition class at the clinic the Child Eye Care Charitable Trust has set up in the slum. As we walked around we found groups of doctors and health care workers doing medical evaluations and vitamin A distributions. At the start of the distributions, women with babies and children in tow were told the importance of vitamin A and how the dose the children were receiving would help their health. Matt Dayka, our photographer, took some great pictures, and Zoe, my 17-year-old daughter, was able to interview some of the mothers and learn about their lives and the dreams they have for their children (look for new field stories coming soon!). The amazing thing is to see any hope in the midst of these deplorable conditions but that in effect is what Child Eye Care Charitable Trust is bringing – a chance for a better future for these children.

(see map).   

Dr. Shilpa Bhatte in Mandkhurd Slum, Mumbai India from Vitamin Angels on Vimeo.

Whether Vitamin Angels is working with beneficiaries in unreachable regions or here in our own backyard, we believe that every person has the right to good health and nutrition. We are happy to support measures which encourage long-term improvements in health and wellness on a global scale. VA is proud to be partnering with “Life…supplemented,” a consumer wellness campaign focused on helping individuals create a healthier lifestyle by offering actionable suggestions and educational information about the three pillars of health: healthy diet, supplements, and exercise.  

Healthy Diet. Last month we posted an article from SciDev.net, explaining how a healthy diet is more than just calories. As “Life…supplemented” further explains, in America, the obesity rate suggests that while people are usually getting enough to eat, we are not always eating the right foods to nourish our bodies. “Making smart choices in our food selections can help reduce your risk of certain diseases and impact your energy levels and ability to stay active and alert.” This means choosing foods which contain the nutrients and minerals that are necessary for our bodies to function well.

Knowing the basics about vitamins and minerals can help individuals understand why they’re so important to overall health. An article on LifeSupplemented.org, “Favorite Foods That Just Might Be Good For You,” gives a great run-down of some of the most important vitamins and minerals that we need. Among the list is one micronutrient near and dear to Vitamin Angels’ heart – vitamin A. According to “Life...Supplemented,” this essential nutrient helps “form and maintain healthy teeth and skin, contributes to strong vision and joins forces with other nutrients in the fight against disease by helping to boost your immune system and red blood cell production.” Just as we explain to our beneficiaries abroad in the educational sessions that accompany vitamin A distributions, vitamin A is often found in colorful vegetables, like carrots, red peppers, broccoli, and spinach- just to name a few. 

Supplements. For many of Vitamin Angels beneficiaries, healthy and nutritious foods can be expensive or hard to come by. Even though this may not be the case for those of us in developed countries, sometimes we fall short of optimal nutritional intake despite our best efforts. When used properly and responsibly, multivitamins and other supplements can provide the nutrients necessary for growth, development, and brain function. They can help give you more energy, boost your immune system, and fill the nutritional gaps some of us have difficulty fulfilling through a healthy diet alone.

Exercise. “Numerous studies show that being physically active can go a long way toward helping to strengthen your heart, lower your blood pressure, stimulate your immune system and keep your bones in good shape.” Keeping in shape also has benefits that go beyond physical health, like increased energy and a psychological boost. 

If you’re having difficulty with any one of the Three Pillars of Health, Lifesupplemented.org has some great tools to help you get on track. You can start by completing My Wellness Scorecard to find out how well you are meeting your needs for a healthy diet, supplements, and exercise. And one of the best parts – while you’re learning how to improve your health, you are helping to improve children’s health too! “Life…supplemented” is donating $1 (up to $10,000) for each My Wellness Scorecard completed. By completing a scorecard, you can provide a child with the essential nutrition they need to survive and thrive through the four most vulnerable years of their life.

"Life…supplemented"™ is a consumer wellness campaign presented by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and dietary supplement ingredient suppliers and product manufacturers. CRN is the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry.

Fill out a Wellness Scorecard>> (Life Supplemented will donate $1 to VA for each Scorecard completed) 

Visit Lifesupplemented.org for more information on the Three Pillars of Health>> 

I’m on a dusty road, 7 hours out of Mumbai. Oxen-drawn carts are the 'freight' carriers out here. Women are sitting down by the river doing their wash while children splash in what remains of the water before the rainy season, still 3 1/2 months away, arrives. It is so hot and dry. We’re on the border of Maharastra and Gujurat state (see map), visiting small villages with our partners from Child Eye Care Charitable Trust. They’ve established a center in Dang District, a remote rural area of 300 villages. So far, they have established programs in 100 villages and expect to have the area fully covered by 2012. Their programs are amazing, very comprehensive in offering a wide range of health services and development training. Our vitamin A program (part of Operation 20/20) is a perfect fit with their prevention methods and eye care services. Our vitamin A and deworming posters have been translated into Gujurati and Maharati (and are fully illustrated) so the tribal peoples can understand them. Illiteracy is a major challenge here and the poverty is endemic.

This morning we visited Chika Tiya and Davdah, small villages of about 40-50 families. When we arrived, the kids (about 25-30 under 5's) were all sitting in the 'community center' (a 1 room, mud walled hut). They were so cute, yet so malnourished. Skin problems, brittle hair, lots of coughing and runny noses, all signs of vitamin A deficiency. Dr. Pradeep N. Sawardekar is with us, translating and making sure the program is being conducted properly. The diet here is dahl (lentils) and roti (tortillas) and that's about it. With some success Dr. Pradeep's group is trying to encourage the families to put in kitchen gardens at their homes to supplement their diets. The government here (especially in Gujurat) has made some good strides recently. Most villages now have water, though we still see women gathering water from small creeks when their homes are too far from the village. It's one of the signs of rural India; women and girls with large water tins balanced perfectly on their heads walking down the road (one of the girls tried to show Zoe how it is done this morning). People are also using latrines which is helping lower the incidence of parasites.

India is changing in so many ways. The roads, though still life endangering with every outing (a two lane road is treated as 6 lanes, seriously, and passing up hill on a blind curve is common practice), are actually paved even to the small villages (not the case in Haiti for example - where knee deep ruts made a 29 mile journey take 2 1/2 hours). We see the progress and yet there is still so much work to be done. Tomorrow we're headed into the slums of Mumbai.

Dr. Pradeep N. Sawardekar from Vitamin Angels on Vimeo.

You can find more Notes from the Field here>> 

Sight and Life Magazine published an article last month which takes a look at Vitamin Angels’ own multiple micronutrient and deworming project in Honduras. The project is part of our Thrive to Five multivitamin program, implemented with field partner Cristo Salva and supported by Sight and Life. Designed as part of a larger Honduran Ministry of Health (MOH) rural health program, the project was the first stage of a two-stage effort to alleviate malnutrition in the region.

For many Honduran children, like others in developing countries, malnutrition is a severe threat to survival and development.  In 2006, WHO reported that 29.9% of children under five in Honduras were stunted. The same year the Honduras Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reported that one out of four Honduran children is chronically undernourished. The MOH and DHS indicated that the highest prevalence of stunting and overweight children occurred in the rural western region, with chronic malnutrition reaching 88 percent in some rural communities. Parasitic infection is also a major contributor to malnutrition in the region as parasites rob the body and prevent absorption of essential nutrients.

The Honduras Children’s Micronutrient and Deworming Project was a 3 year “campaign-style intervention [that] sought to provide essential multiple micronutrient supplements to children 2-14 years in selected schools in the northwest region of Honduras.” Beginning in July of 2006, children were given a daily supplement for an average of 180 days per year (the number of school days in the academic year) as well as 400 mg of deworming, anti-parasitic drug Albendazole twice a year. Previously the MOH had worked to provide nutritional supplements and anti-paraistics to at-risk children, but coverage rates had been inconsistent due to limited funds.

At the request of the Honduran government, Vitamin Angels and Cristo Salva targeted 55,000 children at 88 schools in four districts of northwest Honduras – Macuelizo, Azacualpa, Nueva Frontera, and Quimistan.  Teachers delivered nutritional supplements each school day and Albendazole once every six months to eligible children. Additional supplements were provided to the parents of school-going children in order to reach preschool-aged children, and eligible out-of-school children were reached by local intermediaries. Through the school system, adults were educated on the “preparation and use of local foods rich in vitamin A as well as gardening, sanitation, and basic hygiene.“  

Over the course of the three year project (July 2006 – June 2009), nearly 100% of school-going children (26,034 children) at the 88 selected schools were reached annually with nutritional supplements and deworming tablets. Approximately 75% of preschool aged children age 2-5 (approx. 29,000 children) were reached with the same regimen.

Observational and anecdotal accounts from parents and teachers collected by the MOH and Cristo Salva indicate that the children have shown improvements in health, growth, and attentiveness in class. It was also concluded that the “distribution mechanism and effective monitoring served the project well.” Cristo Salva program director and staff visited the distribution locations regularly, and those schools found not to be fulfilling their obligation were given feedback which resulted in improvement.

Although the Honduras Micronutrient and Deworming Project shows success, concern is present for the length of time it will take for longer term interventions to take hold. This project was the first stage of a two-stage strategy, meant to move from “immediate interventions to abate the nutritional crisis, to a longer term set of policies and programs to alleviate the underlying causes of malnutrition.” Second phase policies and programs include supporting “nutrient-rich gardening among communities and schools, ongoing education on available red, green and orange leafy fruits and vegetables that supply vitamin A and other essential nutrients, and education on hygiene sanitation, water, and nutrition in schools.” 

While there has been both short term and long term success in achieving nutritional objectives in schools in the district of Azacualpa, overall the cost of alleviating malnutrition through longer term means is proving to be greater than anticipated. The MOH believes that “supplementation and deworming efforts will need to be in place for several more years until its longer term interventions take hold.” Vitamin Angels intends to continue to support this project as a part of our larger Thrive to Five program.

Read the article>>
 

Last month SciDev.net released an article revealing a common oversight in the way we view and talk about undernutrition. Though the word “hunger” is often used as an emotive term to “conjure images of famine and starvation in the developing world,” the dietary problems that plague more than one third of the world’s children are more complex than just a lack of calories. While high-calorie staple foods – like maize and rice - may fill the belly, necessities like protein and micronutrients are missing from many diets. As the author Priya Shetty explains, people “can survive [on these foods], but cannot flourish.”

The article, “The Challenge of Improving Nutrition: Facts and Figures” makes it clear that simply providing food is not enough. The numbers noted in the article are staggering.*

•    1.02 billion people suffer from undernutrition.
•    99% of undernourished people live in developing countries.
•    More than 60% of the chronically undernourished population is female.
•    6 million child deaths are linked to malnutrition.
•    1.5 million children die every year because they waste away from undernutrition.
•    178 million children become physically stunted, partly because of not having enough food or vitamins.
•    US $20-30 billion is what undernutrition is estimated to cost economic development each year.

What’s more the consequences of a diet lacking in micronutrients can be severe, even deadly.

•    More than 500,000 child deaths every year are linked to lack of vitamin A.
•    More than 20% of children under in developing countries suffer from iron deficiency-related anemia.
•    40-60% of children in developing countries have impaired mental development due to iron deficiency.
•    Zinc deficiency is linked to 176,000 deaths from diarrhea and 406,000 deaths from pneumonia each year.

As illustrated by the numbers above, children are the hardest hit by malnutrition which often begins as early as conception. This leads to problems with proper development inutero, low birth weights, birth defects and low child survival rates. The article explains that the effects of micronutrient deficiencies on children are devastating, “up to half a million vitamin A deficient children go blind every year, half of them dying within a year of losing their sight.”

Micronutrient supplementation is one method which is widely recommended and has proven effective in reducing problems associated with nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition. “WHO estimates that 1.25 million deaths have been averted since 1998 through vitamin A supplements. [Iron] supplementation in Nicaragua has reduced anaemia among pregnant women by a third.” Other methods recommended by international agencies include fortifying food staples, like sugar and wheat flour, and powdered micronutrient packets (Sprinkles). Education and investments in agricultural science, are just two of the methods mentioned as long-term solutions.

The need for swift action is vital to saving the lives and futures of today’s children. There is increasing evidence that the damage caused by undernutrition is irreversible after the age of two and it is crucial that good nutrition is achieved from the earliest point possible, as studies suggest “early nutritional interventions have persistent effects on schooling and economic productivity.” A study in Guatemala showed that boys consistently given a highly nutritious supplement before age three were found to have improved reading comprehension and nonverbal cognitive ability as adults, as well as earn 46% higher average hourly wages.
Scientists are also increasingly realizing the link between nutrition and controlling both infectious and chronic disease. As malnutrition weakens the immune system, susceptibility to infection increases. Infection depletes nutrient and energy stores, which inhibits treatment and worsens the damage caused infectious disease. This vicious and often deadly cycle has contributed to the HIV epidemic for decades. “Undernourished people have compromised immune systems, making them more vulnerable to HIV infection. HIV infection, in turn, makes it harder for people to absorb nutrients from food because of frequent diarrhea. It also disrupts the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins, exacerbating nutrient deficiencies.” While supplements are no substitute to antiretrovirals, nutrition is a key ingredient to treatment that is often disregarded.

The main point of Shetty’s article is one that is often overlooked – an increase in food supplies does not necessarily translate into improved nutrition. Even as some populations increase their caloric intake, the bulk of their calories come from fat and sugar, and the amount of micronutrient rich foods such as fruits and vegetables remains low. While many developing nations have already prioritized food security, the need for governments and organizations to increase nutrition security is necessary in order to ensure the health and development of today’s children and those of generations to come.

* Adapted from statistics published by the WHO and the World Food Programme.

Read the article>>

The Canadian Press released an article on Tuesday depicting the new crisis that Haitians are now facing in the aftermath of the earthquake. Health workers say that, nearly a month after the quake, respiratory infections, diarrhea, malnutrition and a lack of appropriate food may be the biggest killers for young children in the disaster region.

The article tells the story of fourteen-month old Abigail Charlot, who survived Haiti's “cataclysmic earthquake, but not its miserable aftermath.” Abigail was brought into the capital’s General Hospital with a fever and diarrhea. Her “wire-thin” mother, Simone, had stopped lactating after the earthquake, which is not an uncommon occurrence in mothers who have been subject to shock and trauma. The lack of nutrients from her mother’s breast milk, combined with the sweltering heat and other meager conditions, had left little Abigail “literally dried up.” Treatment came too late for the young girl, and her parents, Simone and James, were left grief stricken at the loss of their only child.  
 
Abigail and her parents were just one of the thousands who are struggling to survive through “the second stage of Haiti’s medical emergency,” where disease, infections, and malnutrition have started to claim lives by the dozen. With thousands of people cramped in make-shift camps, health officials fear epidemics and disease outbreaks as well.
 
Baby Roselande is another trying to survive despite the desperate conditions. Doctors said that the four-month old, acutely malnourished girl was coughing and not gaining weight. Like Simone, Roselande’s mother, Farah Paul, said her breast milk dried up the day of the quake. According to doctors, the baby was given porridge and bananas, but was not able to digest it.
 
Unicef child nutrition expert, Mija Ververs, said that acute malnutrition is only expected to worsen until the summer harvest in August. But Haiti’s children have already long been suffering from malnutrition. With approximately 17,500 children under age five acutely malnourished before the quake, Haiti has the highest rate of malnutrition in the western hemisphere. According to Unicef, the country also has the child and maternal mortality rates in the hemisphere.
 
Although Vitamin Angels is not a relief organization, we are also doing what we can to provide assistance to the children of Haiti. Vitamin Angels has sent over 1 million children’s multivitamins to our partners in Haiti and will continue to send vitamins throughout the year as a means to fight malnutrition throughout the country through our Thrive to Five and Operation 20/20 Programs. Multivitamins provide infants and children the nutrients they need to build strong immune systems during this difficult crisis.

Read the article >>

What's right with Haiti
by Howard B. Schiffer

With all of the recent images of the total destruction in Port-au-Prince flooding the airwaves, and reminders of Haiti’s long-term hardships, poor governance and weak leadership, it is important to remember what’s right with Haiti. Having just visited Haiti in October to view Vitamin Angels on-going programs (Thrive to Five and Operation 20/20) and to meet one of our partners, Hope for Haiti (see the video with their Country Director), I want to share with you some of what I saw.

In March of last year I was working in the Dominican Republic along with Tom Tolworthy from Vitamin Shoppe and Mike Funk, Anabella Funk (10 years), and Tom Dziki from UNFI.  We decided to walk across the border for an impromptu visit to Anse-a-Pitre, Haiti. There we met with Dr. Alexander a young Haitian doctor who has committed his life to serving a population of 30,000 people. With only 12 hour’s notice, he organized a children’s multiple vitamin distribution. Three hundred mothers, babies and toddlers showed up! We also met with a group of young men who were drilling a deep water well for a water purification plant to bring clear water to their community.

In October, I was back in Haiti with Sharon Dressen from Rainbow Light to do vitamin A and prenatal distributions. We landed in Port-au-Prince and immediately visited the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa) baby hospital (we’ve just heard that the hospital survived the earthquake!). Five minutes after we arrived we were in a ward with 25 babies (many orphans or abandoned) and within 10 minutes we each had a baby in our arms. We then visited St. Jorge School where we talked to the children about their dreams (we are still awaiting word to know if the school survived), and ended our day at the Chateau Blond Children’s Hospital, an incredibly modern and impressive facility and learned about their incredible dreams for a full service medical center from Erin (view the interview with Erin). (We just received news that the hospital suffered some damage, that Erin was injured and tragically her brother died in the earthquake). 

We ended our trip in the Southern Peninsula traveling out of Hope for Haiti’s base in Les Cayes. We traveled 4 hours on deeply rutted roads and hiked for 45 minutes to small villages to do distributions and meet the children. Every small town and village we went through, we saw children walking along the road in uniforms on their way to or from school. We met Sister Denise from Baraderes who runs the Little Sisters of St. Therese Clinic. Sister Denise and the other wonderful sisters at the clinic serve a population of 45,000 people, including women who travel long distances on foot for prenatal care at their facility (view the interview with Sister Denise). We also visited Platon, Haiti where dedicated teachers spend their day educating excited children who are so eager to learn. All of these people are doing the most selfless work, living in the most basic conditions and dedicating their lives to helping the children in Haiti.

The children we met are beautiful. During this time I think it is most important to remember them. Haiti has an awful reputation and many people are literally afraid to go there. I can tell you that from having been there recently I'm left remembering the children, who despite having so little, are excited and engaged and thirsting for education, I think of all of the people doing heroic work to give Haiti a chance at a brighter future. And I recall all of the mom’s who walk for miles with children in tow to our vitamin distributions to try to ensure that their children will be healthy.  More than anything I’m left with a lot of hope.    

View more pictures from my trip>>

Read My Notes from the Field: Day 1>> Day 2>> Day 3>>

Read the blogs from the trip: Amy Steets>> Sharon Dressen>>

SANTA BARBARA, CA, January 14, 2010- Vitamin Angels is a non profit, 501.c.3 charitable organization connecting essential micronutrients, especially vitamin A, with infants and children under 5 in need around the world. While not a disaster relief agency, Vitamin Angels has responded to an urgent request from our in-country partner, Hope for Haiti, by shipping over 1 million children’s multivitamins. After the present crisis is averted, Vitamin Angels will be working to rebuild nutritional security in Haiti by focusing on long-term strategies for alleviating micronutrient deficiency.

IRIN released an article last month depicting the challenges that culture can present in delivering vital nutrition to children.  The article focused on the issues presented by culture in Kenya, in particular, though noted that other cultural norms may similarly influence child health around the world. As Kenyans face month after month of drought, many children are suffering from malnutrition and are being enrolled in supplementary feeding programs. The article, “The role of culture in child nutrition,” depicts some of the challenges that must be overcome to allow these children to obtain the nutrition they need to be healthy.

One nutritional problem Kenyans face, according to the article, is a widespread tendency not to breastfeed babies during their first six months of life. “According to the UN Children’s Fund, exclusive breastfeeding is the perfect way to provide the best food for a baby’s first six months as breastfed infants are much less likely to die from diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and other diseases.” Unfortunately, World Vision nutritionist Humphrey Mosomi reports that in the Marsabit district of Kenya, some 60 percent of mothers gave their babies additional food as well as water within two weeks of birth. Furthermore, Mosomi explains that boys may be introduced to camel milk early as an introduction to the herds they will one day tend.  The belief is that if the male child is first introduced to his mother’s milk, he will not be equipped to fulfill his role in the future. In an effort to improve the situation, traditional birth attendants are being educated about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

Mosomi goes on to explain other cultural beliefs which may prevent difficulties regarding child health. Cows, goats and other livestock are often kept instead of sold for food in times of hardship, as ownership implies wealth within the culture and a sale would indicate cowardice and poverty. For a leader, selling off a cow in a time of drought would be a costly political move.
At the heart of many of the problems discussed in the IRIN article, what appears most needed is an increase in resources and education. “Some mothers take the children for immunization but they don’t understand why this is important. They go because the doctor said return on a certain date.”  The article noted that in many areas, the hospitals or clinics are understaffed and unlikely to have the time to explain to the mothers the reasons for the interventions.

The UN World Food Programme will be providing “special supplementary rations to 450,000 children under the age of five as well as to pregnant and nursing mothers in the northern districts of Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and Wajir,” to combat the effects of the present drought conditions. This additional support is expected to effectively help curb malnutrition levels in the regions, though education remains unmet need.

Read the article>>

The Salt Lake Tribune released an article yesterday announcing that 26,000 bottles of multivitamins will be donated to thousands of women throughout Utah through the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. The donation was made possible by Vitamin Angels and federal grant.

The article, “Neural tube birth defects on the rise in Utah,” brings special attention to the fact that the vitamins will play a critical role in preventing neural tube defects and ensuring the health of Utah’s babies. The number of babies born with neural tube defects is on the rise in Utah. “Up to 25 more babies were born in 2008 with defects like spina bifida or the deadly anencephaly (in which the brain fails to develop) than in the late 1990s.” The mothers targeted by the WIC programs are up to two times more likely than others in the United States to have a baby with this type of defect.

According to the March of Dimes, seventy percent of neural tube defects are preventable with the “well-timed digestion of folic acid.” The vitamins donated to the new WIC initiative through the Utah Food Bank contain 400 micrograms of folic acid. This B vitamin helps a fetal neural tube develop properly into the brain and spinal cord. The Health Department is advocating all women of childbearing age take the supplement every day.

Read the article>>

Make a donation to support our domestic projects though our Thrive to Five program>>

See where else in the U.S. Vitamin Angels is working>> 

This past Saturday Vitamin Angels was recognized by New York Times Op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof in his article “World’s Healthiest Food” as one of the organizations which is providing vital micronutrients to children and mothers globally.

The article explains the detrimental effects that are caused by lack of micronutrients in children. On a recent trip to Honduras, Kristof encountered three babies in a hospital in the Honduran capital suffering life-threatening conditions caused by a lack of this “miracle substance.” “The doctors believe the reason for [their] deformities, called neural tube defects, was that their mothers did not have enough micronutrients, particularly folic acid, while pregnant.”

Kristof goes on to bring attention to equally important micronutrients, including vitamin A. A lack of this essential nutrient leads to the deaths of some 670,000 children each year and remains the world’s leading cause of blindness.

But the miracle of micronutrients lies not only in their ability to dramatically improve the health of both women and children, but also in their small cost. David Dodson, the founder of Project Health Children, said, “I had never seen anything in my life that could have so much impact for so little money and be sustainable.”

Our thanks to Nicholas Kristof for sharing the need for essential micronutrients with his readers and for identifying Vitamin Angels as one organization making a difference.

If you would like to donate to one of our programs which distribute micronutrients to mothers and children globally, please click here. To learn more about our programs, Operation 2020 and Thrive to Five, please click here.

Read the full article by Nicholas Krisof>>

See us again on Kristof's blog>>

Name: Brittany

What I do all day at work: I love my days because they are filled with many different tasks and assignments. My time is split between event planning, promotions, fundraising, mailers, money tracking, trade shows, spreadsheets, and phone discussions with our out of office staff and interested inquisitive individuals.

Furry family members: My furry family is extensive and I love every one of them. Sir Arthur Pugsley resides at my parent’s house in Northern California and is a big fan of his chewy ball. Gravy, our long furred orange tabby was born in 1993 and is aging beautifully. Tosch is a malamute husky weighing in at 105 lbs and enjoys eating snow (when snow is available, see picture). Woody is a 7 month old boxer mastiff mix with very floppy limbs, who channels many animal energies and features, the most common being a horse-monkey.

Food: I like to eat healthy, without having to cook.  Recently I have been favoring the Indian food from the International Bar at Whole Foods but my favorite Natural Foods market is still Lazy Acres on the Mesa. I also love Thai and most any pasta. I have lately discovered brown rice pasta which is very good if you don’t overcook it.

Travel to: anywhere. Looking forward to Oregon and Idaho coming up and hoping for a trip to Joshua Tree in Spring.

Music: Love it. Most everything. My younger brother is a brilliant musician and I love everything he writes, sings and plays.

When I was little I wanted to be: As I remember I was content being little and singing ‘I won’t grow up!’ from Peter Pan. I did want to be some very interesting things for Halloween though, including Santa Clause and a Night in Shining Armor.

Everyday I...: sing in the shower. Usually a folk song that I learned from my mother. It takes me back to my childhood and the image of her playing guitar and singing in the funky little beach house we would rent on Stinson. Kate Wolf was her preference and my favorite.

I find inspiration in: every day. It’s very easy to find inspiration in our beautiful town. I am a sucker for the Douglass Preserve Park, the beaches, I don’t even mind the 241 stairs that lead down to the beach (sometimes I mind them going up though.) I am also inspired by the wonderful people who surround me, my co-workers, friends, family and boyfriend.

I love my job because: I have no reason not to.

Words of wisdom: What I’ve learned: Always be kind; to people, animals, the environment and yourself. Think about your life as how it fits into the bigger picture, educate yourself about the world (aka listen to NPR), follow your dreams and if you don’t have a dream (I don’t), put one foot in front of the other and trust that you are moving forward. FYI- the direction will usually change.

Vitamin Angels' president and founder, Howard Schiffer, was invited to be a guest last Wednesday, December 23rd on Fox 11's Good Day LA to talk about Vitamin Angels' work. Here's the clip!

Thank you to Jose Rios, Josh Kaplan and all of the wonderful folks from Good Day LA! 

If you are interested in making a donation to our maternal or child nutrition programs this holiday season, please click here.