Vitamin Angels works to save lives and improve the health of nutritionally vulnerable women and children through proven nutrition solutions. To do that, we partner with trusted, community-rooted organizations like Developing Indigenous Resources (DIR), amplifying local leadership and extending life-saving nutrition interventions to those who need them most.

Headquartered in Mohali, Punjab, in northwestern India, DIR is a Vitamin Angels program partner operating in the Nayagaon neighborhood on the peripheries of Chandigarh, a community with limited access to consistent health services and quality nutrition. DIR’s mission centers on maternal and child health and early childhood education. Their approach is rooted in a powerful principle: lasting change comes from within.

Through a dedicated group of health promoters, selected and trained from the Nayagaon community, DIR monitors the health of children under five and counsels pregnant women and new mothers on immunization and nutrition. These promoters are not outsiders: they are neighbors, trusted voices, and familiar faces, and that connection makes all the difference.

“Since the members of the team belong to the community, the buy-in when introducing interventions has been smooth. This has proven to be helpful especially when creating awareness around evidence-based nutrition interventions like vitamin A supplementation and deworming for children under 5.””

– Dr. Asha Katoch, Director, Developing Indigenous Resources

DIR’s programmatic work extends beyond health education. Staff organize hands-on demonstrations of low-cost nutritious meals, practical, accessible guidance that meets families where they are. For children and mothers who face barriers to adequate nutrition, DIR’s center provides a hot, cooked meal each day. This direct, tangible support is a cornerstone of the organization’s community-centered model.

Over the years, this approach has created something remarkable: a steady, self-sustaining demand for vitamin A supplementation and deworming from within the Nayagaon community. Families are not only receiving biannual doses, but asking for them. That shift, from passive receipt to active participation, reflects the depth of trust DIR has built and the strength of the nutrition solutions Vitamin Angels helps make possible.