Support in Action: An Indonesia Impact Story with Vitamin Angels

A woman holding a small child, standing in a doorway of a small house with a tin roof in Indonesia

Support in Action: An Indonesia Impact Story with Vitamin Angels

by Liza Semenova

Here at SmartyPants, we feel so honored to work with an organization like Vitamin Angels. As of July 2021, we're thrilled to share that you've helped us provide 20 million nutrient grants to mothers and children around the world. For context, 20 million is about 5 times the population of Los Angeles, where we're headquartered! In our first year with Vitamin Angels (2011), we helped reach 8,000 women and children. Thanks to our amazing community we've been able to make a much greater impact over the last decade.

Did you know?

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 2 people lack access to essential health services.
Just two doses of vitamin A per year and prenatal vitamins and minerals during pregnancy mean healthy futures for mom and baby.

A little girl sitting on a bike, taking a selfie inside of a small brick home.

Says Emily Faraghan, Senior Account Manager at Vitamin Angels,"The ripple effects of good nutrition are making significant improvements. Women are having safer pregnancies and healthier babies. Children are growing up stronger and are performing better in school. Healthier habits are established through nutritional education and support."

Meet Rambu, one of the mothers Vitamin Angels met while working in Indonesia.

Rambu is a teacher in Dasa Elu located on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. Over the past four years, Rambu has regularly needed to repeat her curriculum, bringing all of her students up to speed when she should be teaching something new to her class. Every week there were one or two students who missed school because they were sick. Lately, Rambu has noticed the trend has been changing. Since the local health clinics have begun providing vitamins and other services to the children in the community, her students are missing less school. With better attendance, Rambu can experience one of her greatest joys -- standing in front of a class and helping the children in her community learn.

Rambu’s own 3-year-old daughter, Karin, also receives Vitamin Angels’ nutrition interventions. Rambu proudly shared, "I love watching my daughter grow healthier, more beautiful, and smarter each day”.

20 million is a number that almost seems larger than life. But it represents individual lives and communities being transformed through good nutrition. SmartyPants has been on this journey with Vitamin Angels for 10 years, working to help make impacts like these a reality for families everywhere. And we couldn't do it without our SmartyPants community. You can read further about Rambu's story and discover more about Vitamin Angels below.

Read Rambu & Karin’s Full Story

We believe in good health for the real world - all of it. Vitamin Angels' Founder & President Howard Schiffer sums it up best, "I'm reminded of a conversation I had with Bety Carolina in Los Laureles, Honduras. I had been talking with Bety about the impact our vitamins were having on her child’s health and the improvement she had noticed. I knew there was no medical help in her village, and I asked her if when the children got sick, did the other women help each other out. Her response was immediate, 'Si, El mal de uno es el mal de todos', 'Yes, If one is sick, they are all sick'. Since day one, SmartyPants has shared Vitamin Angels’ belief that we are all in this together, and we need to get healthy together."

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