Dear Friends,

If you were a leading economist, tasked with looking at all of the world's problems (AIDS, TB, Malaria, poverty, etc.) and advising governments and NG0's (Non Government Organizations) where to best spend their resources—Where would you start?

For the past 2 years, 50 of the world's top economists have been working to find solutions to the biggest challenges facing the planet today. Last week a group of 8 top-economists, including 5 Nobel Laureates, met to assess their findings.

Combating malnutrition in the 140 million children who are undernourished is at the top of their list! Providing micronutrients (read: vitamins!) for 80% of these children in the form of vitamin A capsules is what they have recommended. Reaching these children with vitamin A and a course of zinc supplements would cost just $60 million per year and result in benefits would be over $1 billion!

The intervention the Copenhagen Consensus is recommending would involve the use of vitamin A capsules for infants under age 2 and therapeutic zinc supplement courses for infants 6-12 months. In our current strategic plan for the next 5 years, a key strategy is getting vitamin A to newborns, and to children 6-12 months of age. This focus is based on our work with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the white paper they did for Vitamin Angels titled 'Eliminating Vitamin A Deficiency as a Public Health Problem, A Global Review and Plan of Action for Vitamin Angels to Achieve Impact'.

WHAT VITAMIN ANGELS HAS BEEN DOING IN JUNE


Dominican Republic- This month Vitamin Angels received a report from the Batey Relief Alliance. Last March Vitamin Angels sent multivitamins and antiparasitics to the BRA and its partner organizations. During the year long distribution period these organizations were able to deliver vitamins to over 100,000 children in thirteen provinces. In addition, enough vitamins were provided so that each child could complete a three year treatment course, with a periodic treatment of antiworm medications. It is the goal of the Batey Relief Alliance and Vitamin Angels that by the end of the three years, each child will reach the ideal height and weight for their age group.

Purity Products - This month Select Nutrition rallied their vendors to put on a raffle and raise money for Vitamin Angels. There was an outpouring of generosity as prizes were donated, including navigational systems, digital cameras and gift cards. Even New York Giants punter Sean Landenta made an appearance to show his support for Vitamin Angels. The event was a huge success and raised over $2,500. A huge thanks to everyone at Select- you have shown that when we come together we really can make a difference!

SUMMER READING

Are you looking for some exciting, interesting, and informative books to read this summer? Check out our suggested reading list.

THE 2008 NBJ SUMMIT - REGISTER NOW

Please register soon for this year's 11th Annual NBJ Summit at the St. Regis Hotel – Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California on July 23-25, 2008. This event is the premier leadership event for CEOs and senior executives in the nutrition, natural and organic products industry. Space is limited to approximately 200 industry leaders so if you are planning on attending, please do not hesitate to register for this year's meeting.

6 NEW VIDEOS on Website!

Vitamin Angels has posted 6 new videos of our work around the world with Operation 20/20. Take a look at a video from India, 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

JUNE PROMOTIONS

 

 

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 June!
Tishcon and NextGen

Thanks to everyone who supported our work this month: our amazing BOD: Tom Aarts, Barclay Hope, 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.

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

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.