Sabrina Bland, the health director for our in-country partner in Nicaragua, Amigos for Christ, told me that for years the rule of thumb among poor women during pregnancy here has been "one tooth per baby." Because of chronic malnutrition and the depletion pregnancy takes from already limited calcium and iron reserves (anemia affects 33% of children under 5 in Nicaragua and likely a similar percentage for women), losing one tooth during each pregnancy was the status quo for years. Not any more. Sabrina told me that since the women have started taking prenatal vitamins, they are no longer losing teeth. She said it's one of those things you notice - the difference in the health of women now compared to when Amigos first started working here thirteen years ago. (Watch Sabrina's video).

Many of the women we spoke to today, first in Rotarios and later in the very remote village of Miguel Antonio (reached by fording a stream and walking uphill to the village!), told us similar stories.

Reyna in Rotarios, who is eight months pregnant with her first baby, has been taking vitamins since she first found out she was pregnant. I asked her why she is taking them and she smiled and said very matter of factly, "Because I feel better after taking them." Her diet is simple (mostly rice and beans with fruit for breakfast), and she looked like the picture of good health.

DaMarisa, a 26-year-old mom in Miguel Antonio, told us that she took prenatals with her second child, Diego, and is still taking them. Her first baby was sick all the time, but when we asked about Diego she said, "Oh, he is very healthy."

Maria, also in Miguel Antonio, is a 34-year-old woman with three children, ages fourteen, nine, and baby Amelia Melissa who is three months old. Maria told us that Amelia is much healthier and stronger than her first two children. She also has much more milk and intends to breast feed for another year at least (exactly what we like to hear). She is now growing a fruit garden and will start to plant peppers and squash soon.

Shane McClellan, from Univera told me about interviewing a women today who said "If Vitamin Angels didn't come here, no one would." And Reyna, a woman Sabrina and I were speaking with in Miguel Antonio, was so thankful that Amigos for Christ and Vitamin Angels showed up in her village. She said "We're so poor, we couldn't afford vitamins." Walking back to the van, it is obvious why no one else will come - it's just too hard to get to. But as I reminded Sabrina more than once today, this is exactly where Vitamin Angels wants to be.

Check out our trip webpage for the latest photos and updates.

Vitamin Angels is running very low on children's multivitamins and needs product donations to maintain this project through 2011. Please watch our call for multivitamins video and contact us if you can help!