Good morning,

Howard has asked me to make sure that you received news of his experiences during his travel to El Salvador. He was in El Salvador helping to launch the Operation 20/20 with our in country partners, Save the Children. Notes from Howard's daily experiences, in his own words, are below. Pretty incredible!

Greetings from El Salvador!

The families we met today are still recovering from the earthquake that shook El Salvador in 2001. Their homes were instantly destroyed and six years later they're living in tin huts, cooking on outdoor fires and trying to hold a life together for their children.

The average wage here is $50-$80 per month for those lucky enough to find work. Most of the families survive on a diet of corn and beans. Operation 20/20 will have a major impact on these children’s lives as vitamin A deficiency and parasites are rampant.

We took a walk down to the river which is the water source for many of the families. It is also where they bathe, get their cleaning water from, and where animals drink from and (unfortunately) defecate in - one more contributor to the parasite problem in this community.

Part of the village is on an organic coffee plantation. I asked the manager if he knew about Starbucks and he just shook his head. It's hard to think about someone drinking a Grande Latte that originated here when these families don't have enough to provide basic nutrition to their children.

We return to the States tomorrow after going completely around the world for Operation 20/20!

There is great satisfaction in knowing that 4.5 million children this year will have a chance at a better life because of all of the support we've received for Vitamin Angels.

Meeting these children makes it all worth it!

Best,

Howard

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Howard B Schiffer
Founder & President
VITAMIN ANGELS

P.O. Box 42029
Santa Barbara, CA  93140

Ph: 805 564 8400
Fx: 805 564 8499
Web: www.VitaminAngels.org