Dear Friends,

Today, the average life expectancy for ¼ of the world is 45 years. Technically, a death under 50 years of age is categorized as a ‘premature death’ and the burden of these early deaths fall most heavily on developing countries. Last June we launched a program for 90,000 children in Malawi, a densely populated country in southeastern Africa where the average life expectancy is 42 years. In Lesotho, Southern Africa, the average life expectancy is only 35 years and in Afghanistan 42 years. This is in extreme contrast to the Western world where the average life expectancy for the United States is 77 years, and even higher for countries such as Spain, Singapore and Israel where the life expectancy is 80 years.

Half of the deaths under 50 years of age are actually children who die before the age of 5 years. The underlying cause in many of these deaths is chronic malnutrition. To avert these deaths we do not have to spend a penny on research or devote decades to find a ‘cure’ – we know the solution- and that solution is basic nutrition. Vitamin A interventions alone can and have saved millions of children’s lives. In the January 17th Lancet article, 1/3 of all child and maternal deaths every year were attributed to chronic malnutrition. This is something we can dramatically change today.

Globally the average life expectancy is increasing. It is now time to make sure this increase is seen throughout the world in the rich and poor countries. Every newborn deserves a chance at a full and healthy life.

WHAT VITAMIN ANGELS HAS BEEN DOING IN APRIL

Myanmar - The Shanta Foundation just returned from a medical trip to Myanmar. Myanmar is the largest country by geographical area in Southeast Asia and also one of the poorest. The Shanta Foundation held a mobile medical clinic for six days and treated over 200 patients. Vitamin Angels contributed prenatal vitamins that were distributed through clinics in three villages. Prenatal vitamins were also given to key people from three other villages where clinics weren’t accessible.

In addition to distributing vitamins, The Shanta Foundation is working in seven villages to build schools and water systems, as well as providing pre- and primary school training for parents and teachers.

Dominican Republic - This month LDS Humanitarian Services have collected the materials needed to launch their Rural School Lunch Program. Vitamin Angels supplied multivitamins and LDS Humanitarian Services arranged for them to be bottled and created labels with our logo! They will be distributing at 694 schools across the Dominican Republic and reaching 81,097 students.

Haiti - This month Vitamin Angels sent Vitamin A supplements and antiparasitics to Nehemiah Vision Ministries who lead a distribution in Chambion Haiti. Many of the children seen were already experiencing the beginnings of eye disease and suffered from mild to moderate malnutrition. One hundred people received antiparasitics and at least 200 children received Vitamin A supplements.

Dominican Republic - This month Vitamin Angels sent 30 boxes of prenatal vitamins to El Llano, which is located in the Dominican Republic, on the border of Haiti. With the help of the organization Building Bridges of Hope, 24 refugee campos were visited and prenatal vitamins were distributed to 960 pregnant or nursing women.

5 NEW VIDEOS on Website!

Vitamin Angels has posted 5 new videos of our work around the world with Operation 20/20. Take a look at a video from Malawi, Mozambique, Indonesia, Belize or El Salvador and experience a vitamin distribution first hand. Learn about the struggles and challenges facing these countries and the efforts Vitamin Angels is putting forth to make a difference. A special thanks to Sevan Matossian and Grekian Pictures for the filming and production of these videos! Watch Now

Charity Navigator

Vitamin Angels is proud to announce we have received the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator. Less than a quarter of the charities they evaluate have received their highest rating, indicating that Vitamin Angels outperforms the majority of nonprofits in America with respect to fiscal responsibility. We are honored to receive this recognition from Charity Navigator!

To access the report click here:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10717

IN THIS ISSUE

APRIL RETAIL PROMOTIONS

SNIKIDDY | Back to Top

This month Vitamin Angels is doing a promotion with Snikiddy Snacks. When you purchase products such as Mac n Cheese Puffs or Pizza Pie Puffs $0.10 will go directly to Vitamin Angels. Look for the Vitamin Angels logo on choice products.

POMOLOGY| Back to Top

This month Bullwater Health & Fitness, LLC, manufacturer of the Pomology line of pomegranate-based supplements and multivitamins, will be donating a portion of sales from their Men’s and Women’s Daily Multivitamin formulas to Vitamin Angels.

WEGMANS | Back to Top

When you purchase choice products from Wegmans a portion of the proceeds will go directly to support Vitamin Angels. Look for our logo on certain products such as Newman’s Own pretzels and Health Valley cereal bars.

GENUINE HEALTH | Back to Top

Vitamin Angels is working with Genuine Health retailers across Canada.

CORE NATURALS | Back to Top

Starting this month and continuing through 2008, for every bottle of Salba Whole Seed and Salba Ground product sold 25 cents will go directly to Vitamin Angels!

GIVELINE  | Back to Top

Vitamin Angels is now registered with Giveline Inc. an online retail store which donates a percentage of product sales to support the charity of your choice. Giveline sells such products as DVDs, music, books and electronics so next time you are making a purchase go to www.giveline.com and choose Vitamin Angels!

VITAMIN ANGELS AT THE VILLAGE LEVEL | Back to Top

Do you want to get a good idea of how Vitamin Angels' programs look at the village level? Contact us at (info@VitaminAngels.com) and ask for one or more of our DVD's: Operation 20/20, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Asia, or Mississippi. We will happily drop them in the mail to you. Or go to our website at www.VitaminAngels.org and check out all of the videos in our video section!

A Huge Thanks to our Monthly Angels for April!
Barlean’s Organic Oils, Rainbow Light, Tishcon, Pharmachem Laboratories and Anonymous. We thank all of our supporters who make this work possible!

Thanks to everyone who supported our work this month: our amazing BOD: Tom Aarts, Barclay Hope, Yvon Bastien, Bill Sechrest, Elliott Balbert, Mehbs Remtulla, Anthony Zolezzi, Clayton Ajello, Peter Van Stolk and Jeff Markel; Steve Allen, Susan Haeger, Peter Hefele and James Tonkin on our BOA; Amy, Miranda and Steve at Pitch Publicity. Jeff Hilton and everyone at IMG; our amazing interns Sarah, Eric, Hava, and Christina. A special thanks to Nancy Neuman, Cynthia So and Steve Summers for helping to organize Howard’s upcoming distribution trips.

WANTS & NEEDS | Back to Top

We are in need of financial contributions to help support our work. From the recent World Bank book ‘Repositioning Nutrition as Central To Development', it is clear that our need for vitamin supplements is greater than ever before. We need planned production of children's chewable vitamins (multiples), adult multiples, prenatals, and fish oil capsules.  Please contact Rachel at: 805 564 8400 or rachel@VitaminAngels.org  to arrange for a financial contribution or a product donation.

As always, please forward this newsletter to all of your friends and colleagues. We rely on our supporters and friends to help get the word out and get people to our site (www.VitaminAngels.org) so they can see the scope of what we are accomplishing and make needed contributions. Your support and encouragement makes all of the difference in the world!

Best,

Howard B. Schiffer
President and Founder
Vitamin Angels
PO Box 42029
Santa Barbara, CA  93140  USA
P: 805 564 8400
F: 805 564 8499
E: info@VitaminAngels.org

PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION REPORT 3/1/08 - 3/31/08) | Back to Top

NEW DISTRIBUTIONS IN APRIL!

1. Myanmar - Pre-natal vitamins were sent to the Shanta Foundation where a medical clinic was held for six days and treated over 200 patients.
2. Dominican Republic - LDS Humanitarian Services launched a Rural School Lunch Program that will be distributing at 694 schools and reaching 81,097 students.
3. Haiti - Vitamin A and antiparasitics were provided to Nehemiah Vision Ministries where a distribution was held and 300 patients were seen.
4. Dominican Republic - 30 boxes of prenatal vitamins were sent to El Llano and 24 refugee campos were visited distributing vitamins to 960 women.

ONGOING PROGRAMS

1. Belize - Through an arrangement with Spins, Pharmaca, Presence and the Belize Ministry of Health we have launched a 3 year program in Belize as part of Operation 20/20.  We will reach 25,000 Mayan children each year.
2. Bolivia - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Bolivia as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 58,000 children.
3. Burkina Faso - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Burkina Faso as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 375,000 children.
4. Dominican Republic - The DR program sponsored by UNFI, is slated to be a three year campaign to reach 55,000 children per year. We are distributing multivitamins daily and antiparastics two times per year. Our program partners are Direct Relief International, who will handle all to-country shipping and Batey Relief International, who will handle all in-country distribution.
5. El Salvador - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to El Salvador as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 4,000 children.
6. Haiti - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Haiti as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 138,000 children and 21,000 lactating mothers and their babies.
7. Honduras - This program is sponsored by Sight & Life (DSM), UNFI, Anabolic Laboratories, United Flavors, Domino Foods, George Washington University, Pan American Health Organization and Medpharm. This program is reaching 55,000 children per year for three years. Our in-country partners are Cristo Salva, Ministry of Health and PAHO. We are distributing children's multivitamins and antiparastics (the multivitamins are given daily and the antiparastics are given twice a year). Recent photos show new gardens that children have planted at their schools with crops high in Vitamin A!
8. India - Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson our campaign in India is in its fourth year and is now reaching 1 million nursing mothers and children with vitamin A and deworming tablets - both the vitamin A and the deworming are given two times per year.
9. Indonesia - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Indonesia as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 320,000 children and 60,000 lactating mothers and their babies
10. Malawi - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Malawi as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 90,000 children.
11. Mali (Sahel) - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Mali as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 25,000 children.
12. Mississippi - Ruleville Mississippi is a very poor rural district in the Mississippi Delta. With the support of Univera and their Serve First Program, we are now reaching 2,000 children with a daily nutrition supplement; Ageless Essentials.
13. Mozambique - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Mozambique as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 720,000 children and 110,000 lactating mothers and their babies.
14. Myanmar - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Myanmar as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 343,000 children and 7,000 lactating mothers and their babies.
15. Nepal - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Nepal as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 333,000 children.
16. Nicaragua - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Nicaragua as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 500,000 children.
17. Pakistan - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Pakistan as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 385,000 children and 835,000 lactating mothers and their babies.
18. Philippines - We are doing a deworming program in partnership with Save the Children reaching 250,000 kids per year. This program began in the first quarter of 2006 and is now slated to run through the last quarter of 2007.
19. Sudan  - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Sudan as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 40,000 children.
20. Tibet - In this program we work closely with Dr. Nancy Harris who is the founder of Terma. We've distributed up to 2 million children's multiples per month.
21. Uganda - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Uganda as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 175,000 children.
22. Vietnam - Vitamin A and antiparasitics are being delivered to Vitenam as part of Operation 20/20's expansion with Save the Children. The program will reach 376,600 children and 2,000 lactating mothers and their babies.