Santa Barbara, CA – Earlier this month, Vitamin Angels, a charity that provides nutritional support to children and mothers in need, convened a summit of nonprofit organizations operating in Haiti. The summit, facilitated by Vitamin Angels’ Program Advisor, Dr. Minaud Dacius, brought together 60 individuals from 41 existing partner organizations in Haiti, as well as groups interested in partnering with Vitamin Angels. Representatives from UNICEF were also in attendance. The event, the first of its kind for Vitamin Angels, allowed partner organizations to come together to network, discuss the realities of their work in the field, and examine ways to expand micronutrient supplementation and deworming in Haiti.
The rate of undernutrition in Haitian children is among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean and is even higher in children from impoverished families, placing them at increased risk of poor health and decreased cognitive development with lasting effects,” said Dr. Dacius. “Our amazing team of partners found that spending the day sharing experiences and challenges in the field, as well as possible integrated solutions was very beneficial.
In Haiti alone, Vitamin Angels serves approximately 300,000 children and mothers who are at-risk for undernutrition through a network of more than 60 local organizations. Vitamin Angels’ unique model for distributing micronutrients and deworming tablets leverages the infrastructure of local non-profits who add supplementation to their existing health and nutrition services. Through events like this one, Vitamin Angels is working to bring together likeminded organizations to maximize shared resources, overcome challenges, and identify gaps in coverage in order to expand health services. Vitamin Angels hopes to replicate this networking model in other countries and regions where it operates.
This Summit was a really exciting first step for our network in Haiti,” said Quinn Harvey, Regional Program Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Not only did we have longtime partners sharing their experiences, we had other NGOs express interest in receiving a grant from Vitamin Angels. We are already discussing ways to use participant excitement and engagement to help expand our reach in Haiti.
To learn more about Vitamin Angels’ work in Latin America and the Caribbean, visit: https://www.vitaminangels.org/countries/latin-america-the-caribbean
To learn about Vitamin Angels’ partnership model or apply for a micronutrient grant, visit https://www.vitaminangels.org/field-partners