Evidence-Based Interventions to Address Global Malnutrition
Our Work
Vitamin Angels delivers sustainable public health nutrition interventions to reach women, infants, and children during a critical window of development, from pregnancy to age five.
We collaborate with governments and global and local stakeholders to introduce and scale evidence-based nutrition interventions using an integrated, systematic approach.
Complete Package of Nutrition Solutions
2.8 billion people globally cannot afford a healthy diet, putting them at risk for malnutrition. This disproportionately impacts women and children and has particularly dire consequences in these populations due to the rapid growth and development—and associated increased nutritional demands—of pregnancy and early childhood. Proper nutrition during these periods is essential, as malnutrition can lead to higher rates of maternal and child mortality, increase susceptibility to diseases, and impair physical and cognitive development. Malnutrition during pregnancy and early childhood can have lifelong consequences, affecting educational outcomes, reducing school performance and future earning potential, and perpetuating a cycle of poverty and poor health.
Vitamin Angels implements high-impact, evidence-based nutrition interventions that can break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. The interventions we deliver support healthy pregnancies, improve birth outcomes, and can reduce infant and maternal mortality while promoting optimal growth and cognitive development and protecting children under age five against common childhood infections.
The Interventions We Deliver, From Pregnancy Through Age Five:
Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (UNIMMAP MMS) for Pregnant Women
Promotion of Early and Exclusive Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding
Vitamin A and Deworming for Children Ages 6-59 Months
Vitamin Angels’ program activities include support for evidence-based nutrition interventions such as advocacy and research to introduce and scale of multiple micronutrient supplementation (UNIMMAP MMS) for pregnant women and vitamin A supplementation and deworming (VAS+D) for children up to age five.
We are also conducting research and developing social and behavior change approaches to improve infant and young child feeding, including supporting optimal breastfeeding practices, improving complementary feeding among children 6-23 months, and implementing supplementary feeding programming.
Key Areas of Work
Vitamin Angels is committed to using evidence-based practices and methodologies, ensuring that our interventions are grounded in robust scientific research and best practices to maximize our impact. We work with over 1,200 partners, including local NGOs, national and sub-national governments, and academic institutions, to build a welcoming environment for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition.
In close collaboration with our partners, we work to:
- Offer technical assistance to our partners through learning and capacity-building opportunities and conducting routine monitoring and evaluation to ensure program quality.
- Fill gaps in product supplies in coordination with government and other suppliers, mobilize local manufacturing, and help to strengthen global supply chains with quality nutrition commodities.
- Conduct implementation research to develop and test locally adapted intervention delivery strategies in collaboration with governments, strengthen health systems, and expand access to interventions through community-based networks.
Collaborators
Vitamin Angels works by strengthening, extending, and amplifying the impact of our network of over 1,200 partners, including national and sub-national governments, INGOs, and local NGOs, community health centers, and academic institutions working to reach the most nutritionally vulnerable groups—pregnant women, infants, and young children—who are underserved by existing systems.
Our Team
Vitamin Angels works in 65 countries
With established regional teams throughout:
- Africa
- Asia
- Latin America & the Caribbean
- North America
Including local teams in:
- The Democratic Republic of Congo
- Haiti
- India
- Indonesia
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- The Philippines
- Uganda
- United States
The Initiative to Advance Implementation Science in Nutrition
The Initiative to Advance Implementation Science in Nutrition is a collaboration between Vitamin Angels and the Center for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Initiative was created to facilitate the advancement of implementation science in the area of maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN).
Continuing Medical Education
Vitamin Angels collaborated with academic and technical partners to produce Nutrition in Pregnancy, a free online course for healthcare providers. The course was designed for healthcare providers interested in maternal and child health, particularly those providing care in low-resource settings, but is relevant for anyone interested in nutrition during pregnancy. The course offers continuing medical education credits and a certificate upon completion.
Reports & Publications
Vitamin Angels works collaboratively to support current implementation research and contribute to the scientific literature to improve future implementation of evidence-based nutrition interventions.
See Some of Our Recent Publications
Maternal & Child Nutrition
Qualitative evaluation of a package of implementation strategies codesigned to support the introduction of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women in Bamako, Mali.
Ba A, Fox MJ, Keita AM, Hurley KM, King SE, Sow S, Diarra K, Djiteye M, Kanté BS, Coulibaly M, Dembele O, Noguchi LM, Sripad P, Winch PJ (2024). Qualitative evaluation of a package of implementation strategies codesigned to support the introduction of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women in Bamako, Mali. Maternal & Child Nutrition. Aug 22:e13712.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Expert Consensus on an Open-Access UNIMMAP MMS Product Specification: 2024 revision.
Ajello CA, Atwater J, de Lange J (2024). Expert Consensus on an Open-Access UNIMMAP MMS Product Specification: 2024 revision. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2024 Aug 21.
Archives of Public Health
Bridging the vitamin A and deworming coverage gap among underserved populations in India through government and civil society organization partnerships. Archives of Public Health 82, 75.
Bhatte S, Frederick J, Serrano S, Ajello C, Chowdhury Z, Jamir T, Kichu L, Longchar T, Sachdeva RC, Sareen N, Steets A (2024). Bridging the vitamin A and deworming coverage gap among underserved populations in India through government and civil society organization partnerships. Archives of Public Health 82, 75.
See More Publications
- Horino M, Habash R, Al-Khatib L, Hani T, Al-Jilani T, Ghanem S, Seita A, Kraemer K, Hurley KM, West KP Jr (2023). Enabling the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to Implement and Evaluate Antenatal Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation in Jordan. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 119-125.
- King SE, Ajello CA, Harvey Q, de Lange J (2023). MMS Supply Context Assessment (SCA) Tool for National Governments. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 162-165.
- Ajello CA, Atwater J, de Lange J (2023). Product Standardization and Verification: Critical to UNIMMAP MMS availability and accessibility. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 138-143.
- Ajello CA, King SE, Santika O, de Lange J, Suwantika A, Holik HA (2023). Synchronizing Access to UNIMMAP MMS Product Supplies with Program Implementation. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 132-137.
- Ajello CA, King E, Harvey Q, Santika O, de Lange J, Suwantika A, Holik HA (2023). Eight Country Experiences Informing Development of a UNIMMAP MMS Supply Strategy to Meet Growing Demand. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp . 126-131.
- Diese M, Mamboleo D, Bindamba B, Kamanda A, Tshiala B, Ntambue A, Mbala L, Kabena A, Russ M, Harvey Q, King SE, Hurley KM (2023). Exploratory Efforts to Distribute UNIMMAP Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 115-118.
- Ba A, Bennett N, Hyre A, Noguchi L, Winch PJ, Fox M, Hurley KM, King SE (2023). Co-designing in Mali: A formative approach to optimizing uptake and adherence of multiple micronutrient supplements by pregnant women. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 89-95
- Dacius M, Marhone-Pierre J, Alfred C, King SE, Emerson J, Fox M, Harvey Q, Hurley KM (2023). An Assessment of Barriers and Enablers to Uptake and Adherence of UNIMMAP Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for Pregnant Women in Haiti. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 83-88
- Anggondowati T, Martha E, Rianty T, Amelia T, Imanhadi B, Kosasih N, Riyanti A, Nandiaty F, Rahmawati ND, Farsia L, Utomo B, Achadi EL, Santika O, Hasan M, Harmiko M, Hapsari KF, King SE, Harvey Q, Fox M, Hurley KM (2023). Formative Research: Barriers and enablers for successful implementation of antenatal MMS in Indonesia. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp. 79-82
- Mishra A, Panicker A, Kroeun H, Jackson-de Graffenried M, Hoang NTD, Tran DT, Kleem R, Fox M, Harvey Q, King SE, Ajello C, Hurley KM (2023). Building an Enabling Environment for UNIMMAP MMS for Pregnant Women – Progress and Lessons Learned from Cambodia and Vietnam. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: Second Edition, pp 67-71
- Gomes F, King SE, Dallmann D, Golan J, da Silva ACF, Hurley KM, Bergeron G, Bourassa MW, Mehta S (2021). Interventions to increase adherence to micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy: a systematic review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Jun;1493(1):41-58.
- Dacius M, King SE, Harvey Q, Ajello C, Marhone-Pierre J, Hurley KM (2020). Ensuring Effective Implementation of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for Pregnant Women in Haiti. MMS Supplement. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: First Edition, pp. 54-57.
- Steets A, Ajello C, Dacius M, Diese M, Harvey Q, Santika O, Schiffer H, Hurley KM (2020). Experiences supporting the introduction and implementation of MMS for pregnant women globally. MMS Supplement. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: First Edition, pp. 37-41.
- Ajello C, Harvey Q, Hurley KM, de Lange J, Laurén A(2020). An Open-Access Product Specification for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for Pregnant Women Based on the UNIMMAP Formula. MMS Supplement. Sight and Life: Focusing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy: First Edition, pp. 102-108.
- Multiple Micronutrient Supplement Technical Advisory Group (MMS-TAG); Micronutrient Forum (MNF) (2020). Expert consensus on an open-access United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation-multiple micronutrient supplement product specification. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Jun;1470(1):3-13.
- Gomes F, Bourassa MW, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ajello C, Bhutta ZA, Black R, Catarino E, Chowdhury R, Dalmiya N, Dwarkanath P, Engle-Stone R, Gernand AD, Goudet S, Hoddinott J, Kaestel P, Manger MS, McDonald CM, Mehta S, Moore SE, Neufeld LM, Osendarp S, Ramachandran P, Rasmussen KM, Stewart C, Sudfeld C, West K, Bergeron G (2020). Setting research priorities on multiple micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Apr;1465(1):76-88.
- Bourassa MW, Osendarp SJM, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ahmed S, Ajello C, Bergeron G, Black R, Christian P, Cousens S, de Pee S, Dewey KG, Arifeen SE, Engle-Stone R, Fleet A, Gernand AD, Hoddinott J, Klemm R, Kraemer K, Kupka R, McLean E, Moore SE, Neufeld LM, Persson LÅ, Rasmussen KM, Shankar AH, Smith E, Sudfeld CR, Udomkesmalee E, Vosti SA (2029). Review of the evidence regarding the use of antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation in low- and middle-income countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. May;1444(1):6-21.
- Kernell JW, DePaola RV, Maglione AM, Ahern LN, Penney NG, Addiss DG (2018). Risk of adverse swallowing events and choking during deworming for preschool-aged children. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Jun 22;12(6):e0006578.
- Baum A, Elize W, Jean-Louis F (2017). Microfinance Institutions’ Successful Delivery of Micronutrient Powders: A Randomized Trial In Rural Haiti. Health Affairs (Millwood). Nov;36(11):1938-1946.
Case Studies
Explore some examples of our local work in maternal, infant, and young child nutrition.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Vitamin Angels partners with the national government and local organizations to improve nutrition policy and expand service delivery of VAS+D and UNIMMAP MMS.
Vietnam
Vitamin Angels leverages longstanding partnerships to expand and strengthen coverage of essential nutrition interventions from pregnancy through the first 5 years.
Haiti
Vitamin Angels works collaboratively to deliver high-impact nutrition interventions to underserved pregnant women, infants, and children under 5 across Haiti.
Meet Our Team
Vitamin Angels multidisciplinary team of public health specialists, behavioral and social scientists, researchers, program managers, and operations specialists have expertise in the following areas:
- Maternal, infant, and young child nutrition.
- Nutrition-specific programming.
- Global and national nutrition policies.
- Procurement, distribution, and logistics related to the delivery of nutrition commodities.
Our technical capabilities range from program development and implementation to nutrition research, monitoring and evaluation, learning solutions, and global supply chain solutions.
Contact Us
For more information about our technical work or to explore a partnership, please contact programs@vitaminangels.org.