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LA Marathon Training Update by David J Foreman

David Foreman, the Herbal Pharmacist, is joining Team Vitamin Angels, running the LA Marathon and raising money to support Vitamin Angels! Check out his update below on training to run 26.2 miles on behalf of Vitamin Angels!

This past weekend finished my first 8 weeks of training for the Los Angeles Marathon.  I am using the App developed by Hal Higdon as my guide for how to train my body.  In addition to using his App, I am using many local experts to assist me in my dietary and physical training program.  As I have stated before, I HATE running.  Because I am NOT a runner, my biggest concern has been to not injure my body as I take on this mountain of a goal.

Read the rest of David’s blog on Crowdrise>

Join Team Vitamin Angels>>

*Vitamin Angels allows postings by guest bloggers and supporters of our mission. The views or beliefs of our guest bloggers may not reflect the views and beliefs of our organization or our staff. 

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posted in Vitamin Angels | Child health | Maternal health | Get Involved

Partner Spotlight: Tishcon Corporation

Tishcon CorporationVitamin Angels would like to recognize Tishcon Corporation for their continued support of our Thrive to Five program. For nearly a decade, Tishcon has partnered with Vitamin Angels to bring vital nutrients to the individuals who need them most. In 2011 alone, Tishcon generously manufactured nearly 3 million children’s chewable multivitamins which are reaching at-risk children in Honduras and are on their way to children in U.S. and around the world. Special thanks as well to Sabinsa for their contribution of bottling and labeling of the multivitamins. Tishcon is also supporting our work through an additional multivitamin grant of nearly 500,000 tablets.
 

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posted in Children’s health | Thrive to Five | Multivitamins

Partner Spotlight: Rainbow Light

Rainbow Light® Nutritional Systems, a founder’s circle sponsor of Vitamin Angels, is committed to fighting malnutrition globally. Over the course of our partnership, through their 10:1 donation program, Rainbow Light® has donated well over 24 million prenatal and children’s multivitamins and improved the lives of many at-risk mothers and children through our Thrive to Five program.

“Children who are properly nourished are more likely to thrive physically and are able to take advantage of educational opportunities, “explains Rainbow Light president Linda Kahler. rainbow light“In impoverished areas, mother’s milk is often the primary nutrient source during the first few years of a child’s life. If the mother is undernourished, her child is also apt to lack adequate nutrient intake. This is why prenatal multivitamins are so important for women and their children.”

This year alone, Rainbow Light has donated over 3.7 million doses of women’s prenatal multivitamins and more than 300,000 doses of children’s multivitamins, which are supporting our projects in countries worldwide, including Ghana, Ethiopia, and Haiti!  During the month of September they also doubled donations on all purchases of Prenatal One, Complete Prenatal System and Kid’s One multivitamins through our promotion with Whole Foods’ Be Good to Your Whole Body Promotion. Rainbow Light, thank you so much for your continued support!
 

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posted in prenatals

UN update on MDG 5: improve maternal health

According to an article by Time Magazine, the United Nations recently released a disappointing update on progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in regards to maternal health. The new report, released by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, states that “While there have been considerable gains since 2000 on many of the MDG targets, progress has been slowest on the gender equality dimensions of these targets — from improving maternal health and access to decent work to eradicating hunger.” 

“The report also finds that the rate of maternal deaths has decreased globally by less than 2% per year since 1990, falling short of the 5.5% annual reduction goal.”  Part of this is attributed to lack of appropriate health care during childbirth. For example, in Nepal and Bangladesh, only 5% of rural women are helped by medical professionals at birth. In terms of moving forward, “The report offers recommendations for helping to improve the standing of women in all areas, including government and land ownership, but highlights the improvement of women's access to public services — education, health care and the justice system — as being particularly urgent.”
 

Read full article>>

Learn about how Vitamin Angels is committed to helping meet the MDGs>>

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posted in Vitamin Angels | Maternal health

New Photos From Haiti

Enjoy these new photos from our partners at Fonkoze of a recent multivitamin distribution in Haiti. Through a generous donation of children's multivitamins from Vitamin World/NBTY Vitamin Angels is reaching 30,300 children in Haiti. Through our Thrive to Five program we connect essential nutrients with maternal and child health care services to pregnant and lactating women throughout Haiti, and 24 countries around the world. 26,000 children are also reached with daily essential multivitamins through health care clinics, early child development centers, and preschools for children under five. 

All photos courtesy of Fonkoze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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posted in Thrive to Five | Multivitamins

Pakistan floods threaten child nutrition for years to come

According to UNICEF, three months after the devastating floods in Pakistan, 10 million children are still in need of help.  The Pakistan floods affected more people than the 2004 tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, and the recent earthquake in Pakistan combined.  In some areas almost half of the population is still displaced.  Flood damage to crops and agriculture infrastructure left families with little access to food. An estimated 125,000 Pakistani children will suffer from dangerous levels of malnutrition in the coming year, with child nutrition expected to be a problem in flood-affected areas for a many years to come. 

Even before the devastating flooding hit Pakistan starting last July, the infant mortality rate in the country was one of the highest in South Asia.  Nearly 1 in 10 children die before the age of two, with most deaths resulting from diarrhea, pneumonia or vaccine-preventable diseases, combined with inadequate hygiene, sanitation and feeding practices.  Almost 40% of children under age 5 are underweight and more than ¼ children are born with low birth weight.     

Experts explain that children, especially those under age two, are most vulnerable to the impact of malnutrition, which, in turn, makes them more susceptible to life threatening illnesses. “It is it is critical that nutrition concerns be tackled now, as families in Pakistan try to recover from the flood disaster."

Vitamin Angels' Operation 20/20 program in Pakistan is reaching almost 90,000 children with vitamin A supplements through our partnership with Save the Children.

Read the full article>>

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Vitamin Angels | Child health

Storing your vitamins for full potency

According to an article in the New York Times, medicine cabinets may not be the best location for storing vitamins.  This year, food scientists at Purdue University published a study that found signs of degradation in vitamin C supplements stored above 80 percent humidity, which can be produced by a hot shower.  Similar effects have also been found on thiamin, vitamin B6 and other water-soluble nutritional products in moisture-rich environments.  

In a process called deliquescence, humid environments reduce the potency of vitamins and other supplements to almost nothing.  Therefore, bathrooms and kitchens, which are both known to have spikes in humidity, are not the best surroundings for our supplements.  Research suggests storing vitamins in a cool, dry area such as a bedroom.  The article also recommends throwing away any vitamins that develop softness or dark spots because they may be already degrading. 

Read New York Times article>>

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posted in Vitamin A | Multivitamins

New photos from Cote d'Ivoire

Enjoy these new photos of a recent vitamin A distribution in Cote d'Ivoire.   Through Vitamin Angels' partnership with MAP International, we have reached this year to date:

4,375,750 - children and lactating women with vitamin A through Operation 20/20

14,231 - pregnant or lactating women with multivitamins through Thrive to Five

All photos courtesy of MAP International. 

 

 

 

 

 

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Thrive to Five | Vitamin Angels | Vitamin A | Multivitamins | Child health | Maternal health

“Child mortality rates reduced by one-third”

The Lancet medical journal reports that progress is being made on reducing child mortality rates across the globe. According to estimates from the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IMGE), rates of mortality in children under five have declined by one-third at the global level and have gone from 89 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 60 in 2009. The total number of child deaths has decreased from 12.4 million in 1990 to 8.1 million in 2009. Many regions have reduced rates by 50% or more.

Some regions, however, continue to struggle. In 2009, about half of all under-5 deaths occurred in only five countries, including India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, and China. India and Nigeria contained one-third of the total deaths alone. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates with one in every eight children dying before the age of five.
 
Countries that have made significant progress, especially in sub-Saharan African, have expanded basic public health and interventions, such as vitamin A supplementation. Such low-cost programs can help prevent pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria, which together cause over half of under-5 deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, coverage of these interventions remains low and access is limited.  While the under-5 mortality has been reduced, disparity between rich and poor has increased. Policy interventions that make low-cost curative programs available to all include removing financial and social barriers, targeting services to the poor, and increasing accountability of health systems.
 
 
 
Table from The Lancet: Levels and trends in under-5 mortality rate, 1990-2009 (per 1,000 live births)

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posted in Vitamin Angels | Vitamin A | Multivitamins | Child health | Maternal health | Maternal and Child Health

Latest findings on neonatal vitamin A supplementation

A study by Michael Anthony Rotondi & Nooshin Khobzi posted on the World Health Organization Bulletin provides insight into the benefits of providing vitamin A supplementation to newborns.  Their meta-regression analysis found a statistically significant relationship between the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among pregnant women and overall infant mortality.  This suggests that vitamin A supplementation for newborns within their first two days of life could save lives in regions where vitamin A deficiency is common. 
 
According to the article, infants in developing countries may be especially vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency.  Newborns enter the world with low stores of vitamin A and are dependent on external sources, such as breast milk.  Lactating women who are vitamin A deficient are not able to supply adequate levels of vitamin A to their babies through breast milk. This appears to be most common in developing countries. Therefore, these babies might be especially at risk of not obtaining their daily requirements.  
 
Infants who received vitamin A supplementation in studies done in Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia showed a reduction in all-cause mortality (15%, 22%, and 64%, respectively) when compared to control groups.  However, trails in Guinea-Bissau, Nepal, and Zimbabwe failed to show benefits from vitamin A supplementation.  In response to these contradictory findings, Rotondi and Khobzi hope their data will continue the debate and focus attention on infant mortality and its relationship to vitamin A supplementation, micronutrient deficiencies and nutrition in general.
 
 
Meta-regression plot of log relative risk of infant death in infants given vitamin A supplements as a function of the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in pregnant women. Taken from the Bulletin of the WHO.
 
 
 

 

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Vitamin Angels | Vitamin A | Multivitamins | Child health | Maternal health | Maternal and Child Health

Photo Update from Madagascar

Vitamin Angels just received some great photos from a women's health workshop held by our grantee organization, Sadabe, in Madagascar. This year, we are reaching at risk children and mothers in Madagascar through Operation 20/20 and Thrive to Five.
madagascar, vitamin angels, operation 20/20

vitamin angels, madagascar, operation 20/20, thrive to five

vitamin angels, madagascar, operation 20/20, thrive to five

vitamin angels, madagascar, operation 20/20, thrive to five
All photos courtesy of Sadabe.

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Thrive to Five | Vitamin Angels | Vitamin A | Multivitamins

Vitamin Angels' Programs Team in India

The Vitamin Angels Program Division is in India! We are meeting with stakeholders to explore the potential for a sustainable public-private partnership to increase vitamin A supplementation in priority states.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of the world’s vitamin A deficient children are located in India. Although it is a policy of the Government of India to provide universal vitamin A supplementation to children under 5, large segments of the population do not receive this essential micronutrient – including some of the villages we recently visited in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

vitamin angels, operation 20/20, india
Dr. Shilpa Bhatte (left), representative of VA in India, visiting the Community Rural Development Program (CRDP) implemented by Jaypee Cement Company in villages throughout Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

vitamin angels, operation 20/20, india
CRDP Balwari (preschool) providing education and early childhood development for children ages 3-5 in remote villages of India. Some children were observed to have red hair, poor skin, and other morbidities associated with micronutrient deficiencies.vitamin angels, operation 20/20, indiaThe preschool children were so attentive and engaged in learning! Vitamin Angels hopes to bolster their health and decrease the severity of infectious diseases by providing high dose vitamin A capsules to the village CRDP staff to give to the children twice per year.
 

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Thrive to Five | Vitamin Angels | Vitamin A | Multivitamins | Child health | Maternal health

Aid for poorest populations makes greatest impact

Reports by Save the Children and UNICEF this month explain that while children in the poorest households are harder to reach, they are typically the ones who benefit the most from aid and health services. According to Save the Children, “nearly four million child deaths over the past 10 years could have been prevented if states were able to help the poorest.”

Methods used by many developing countries to reduce child mortality tend to reach children from comparatively better off communities, leaving the children with the most disadvantaged backgrounds, (those who often have a harder time accessing health services) untouched. “According to Unicef, children from the poorest 20% of households in the developing world are more than twice as likely to die as children from the wealthiest 20%.”

Although the difficulties in reaching them are great, the benefits to reaching the most vulnerable children are high. Children suffering from diseases and other ailments benefit the most and child mortality figures can see a greater reduction. Both Unicef and Save the children indicated that countries which focus on the poorest can reduce child mortality dramatically.

Read the article>>

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posted in Child health | Maternal health

Pakistan Flood Crisis Presents Malnutrition Risk for Children

A report issued by Save the Children International explains that fears over the malnutrition rate among the youngest survivors of Pakistan’s flooding are increasing. Damaging or destroying over 450 health facilities, the floods have limited service in areas where health care was already a challenge.

"With so many families displaced and lacking the means to provide their children sufficient food, the next crisis that children face is nutritional," said Ribka Amsalu, Save the Children’s emergency health advisor. Children in camps and hospitals are showing symptoms of severe acute malnutrition. Threats also include diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and a lack of maternal and newborn care.

Over the coming days, the organization will establish malnutrition prevention and treatment centers in affected districts. Focus will be put on children under the age of 5 and pregnant and lactating women and counselors will deploy with Save the Children mobile health teams to support women and infants.

While Vitamin Angels is not a relief organization or involved in Save the Children’s disaster relief efforts, Save the Children is one of Vitamin Angels’ distribution partners and with them we have established a long term vitamin A program within Pakistan. We share this update about their relief efforts in Pakistan as a part of our ongoing concern for the worldwide reduction of childhood undernutrition and mortality.   

Read the article >>
 

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Vitamin A | Child health | Maternal health

Every Capsule Has a Name

Written by Amy Steets, Program Coordinator for Vitamin Angels -

Two weeks ago, Ada Lauren and I (as representatives from Vitamin Angels' Programs Division) travelled to Olds, Alberta, Canada to visit one of our long-time manufacturers of vitamin A capsules - check out the photos below! Banner Pharmacaps is a global gelatin-based drug delivery and specialty pharmaceutical company that has developed pharmaceutical technologies that conform to the highest standards of excellence and currently supply the majority of the Vitamin A capsules to International Aid Agencies under the auspices of the WHO and to Vitamin Angels.    Banner also supplies ongoing technical advice to Vitamin Angels, both with regards to capsule manufacturing specifications and packaging specifications.

In addition to meeting with the fabulous staff at the manufacturing plant, we had the pleasure of taking a tour of the product line to see our vitamin A being produced firsthand. When I visited Haiti last October, I remember seeing the boxes of product we had shipped prior to the visit stacked high in a storage room and felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and perspective about what we do at Vitamin Angels.  So you can only imagine the even greater sense of perspective I gained by seeing raw material injected into a gelatin capsule and then set to dry on a drying tray! As I watched each capsule pass by on the line, I couldn’t help but think, every capsule has a name. A child in Cote d’Ivoire may receive this life-saving dose. A child in India may receive that one. A child in Bolivia… and so on. To think that we are distributing 40 million of these capsules to 20 million children in 2010 is mind boggling when you see each capsule at its most elemental stage. 

So many people have a hand in getting those vitamin A capsules to the children that need them; the Banner manufacturing team, donors, the VA staff, and so on. When we all work together, great things happen!

Ready about Amy's trip to Haiti last October>>  Blog 1, Blog 2

raw material vitamin A in warehouse

  Raw material vitamin a in the warehouse waiting to move to production

raw material for capsules

Raw material for the capsules

Ribbon of capsule gelatin about to be filled with vitamin A - Vitamin Angels

Ribbon of capsule gelatin about to be filled with vitamin A

vitamin A capsules on the drying racks

Capsules on the drying tray

red vitamin A capsules

Vitamin A 200,000 iu capsules

blue vitamin A capsules

Vitamin A 100,000 iu (for children 6-12 months of age)

blue vitamin A capsules ready to be bottled

Vitamin A 100,000 iu after it had been tumbled and dried. Next stop… bottling!

vitamin A bottles on bottling line

Vitamin A bottles on the bottling line

bottles filled with vitamin A and waiting to be capped

Vitamin A bottles on the bottling line… about to be capped, sealed and labeled

pallets of finished vitamin A ready to be shipped to Vitamin Angels

What VA pallets of finished product vitamin A look like before they are shipped to VA (look for VA stickers coming soon!)

staff of Banner with Amy and Ada from Vitamin Angels

Amy and Ada with Banner staff (left to right: Cory Holmes, Ada Lauren, Ken Tkachuk, Amy Steets, Sandy Bowman)

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posted in Operation 20/20 | Vitamin A | Child health | Notes from the Field

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