Vitamin Angels

Infobox NPO
organization_name = Vitamin Angels
organization_
organization_motto = Providing vital nutrition to children in need. [http://www.vitaminangels.org/]
organization_type = Non-profit
founded = 1994 by Howard Schiffer in the United States
location = Global, office located in Santa Barbara, California
fields = child nutrition
homepage = http://www.vitaminangels.org

Vitamin Angels is a non-profit, non-governmental organization which works to provide vitamin supplementation in order to prevent disease brought upon by vitamin deficiency. Vitamin Angels, founded in 1994 by Howard Schiffer, is located in Santa Barbara, California, but most of their work is done globally. Believing that "every person has the right to basic nutrition," Vitamin Angels is meant to provide a cost-effective solution to enormous problems, specifically in the area of child nutrition.

History

Founder Howard Schiffer had been a part of the vitamin industry for many years. After the Northridge Earthquake in California he got a call asking if he would be able to get vitamins to the victims suffering from the after-effects of the earthquake. Howard soon realized the capabilities of vitamin supplements in providing vital nutrition, and in 1994 Vitamin Angels was born. Vitamin Angels has since evolved, now addressing chronic malnutrition on a global level. [http://www.jonessoda.com/files/vitamin.php]

Programs

Vitamin A Deficiency/Childhood Blindness Prevention

Vitamin A is a micronutrient essential for eye health and proper functioning of the immune system. [http://www.childinfo.org/areas/vitamina/] Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is very prevalent in the developing world, with sixty-one countries considered priority countries for Vitamin A by UNICEF and WHO. Beyond this thirty-five additional countries are considered to be less at risk, but still priority countries for Vitamin A programs. VAD affects between 100 to 140 million children every year. Because Vitamin A is essential for eye health, of these children suffering from VAD, 250,000 to 500,000 go blind. Even more children die due to a weakened immune system, from what are normally mild and preventable diseases.

In response to VAD, Vitamin Angels has launched "Operation 20/20". Vitamin Angels has set its sights on eradicating blindness due to Vitamin A Deficiency by the year 2020. To do this, Vitamin Angels works to distribute Vitamin A and antiparastics to children globally. The antiparastic is necessary because parasites would otherwise consume the Vitamin A, providing no supplementation to the child in need. The cost is 25 cents per child, per year. This covers the cost of two high dose vitamin A and anti-parasitic supplements given each year to a child from the ages of 2 to 5, the years when children are most vulnerable to vitamin deficieny.

Operation 20/20 launched in 2007 in 18 countries. In its first year it was to have reached 4.5 million children. [ [http://www.vitaminangels.org/menu/programs/op2020.htm Vitamin Angels - Providing Vital Nutrition to Children in Need ] ]

Child Nutrition

This program is designed to alleviate the problem of global malnutrition by putting attention on shorter routes to better nutrition. The program works to supply children with enough multivitamins for one year.

The Child Nutrition program hopes to achieve better lives for the children and families which suffer from malnutrition globally. When children are healthy, they can go to school and learn better. When children learn, they are given the opportunity find ways to break the cycles of poverty and hunger. [ [http://www.vitaminangels.org/menu/programs/nutrition.htm Vitamin Angels - Providing Vital Nutrition to Children in Need ] ]

Maternal Health

This program gives prenatal supplements to pregnant mothers in order to prevent and treat malnutrition and to prevent hemorrhaging during childbirth. [ [http://www.vitaminangels.org/menu/programs/maternal.htm Vitamin Angels - Providing Vital Nutrition to Children in Need ] ] The Maternal Health Program hopes to achieve that babies get the nutrition they need in the womb, leading to better birth weights, and allowing them children to grow to their full height. Proper nutrition in the womb also gives them a greater ability to resist common childhood diseases and infections.

Disaster Relief

Vitamin Angels provides nutrition to the victims of disasters to help prevent secondary deiseases from improper health conditions. VA has been involved in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Asian Tsunami.

References