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Vitamin A and Deworming Treatment Help Improve Health for Children like Isabel in the Dominican Republic

Isabel and her mother, Arianna, attend a vitamin A and deworming distribution with community members in their neighborhood in the Dominican Republic.

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Vitamin Angels provides nutrition interventions to CitiHope, one of its program partners, which collaborates with Pastoral Materno Infantil, a local ministry, to reach underserved communities in the Dominican Republic. Meet one of the children who received these interventions!

Two-year-old Isabel is a confident and curious toddler, radiating a breezy self-assurance beyond her years. Her playful exploration of the neighborhood earned her the nickname “the mayor,” as she often strolls through the community, making unscheduled visits to her neighbors’ homes.

A young girl standing on the sidewalk

Isabel pauses to look back toward her mom while walking down the sidewalk in her community.

Her mother, Arianna, shares a similarly sunny disposition and is devoted to her daughter’s well-being. When she heard that a community health organization was coming to the area to offer complimentary services, Arianna ensured they would be there and looking their best in matching polka-dot jumpsuits.

As families trickled into the courtyard behind the church where the services were being provided, children played on the grass, kicking soccer balls and laughing. Parents enjoyed a chance to catch up.

A group of health providers and patients sit around a table.

Vitamin Angels program partners connect with participants to provide health services.

Arianna led Isabel into line to receive her dose of vitamin A and deworming treatment, provided by local partner CitiHope through Vitamin Angels. These interventions will support Isabel’s growth and development, help her combat common childhood illnesses, protect her vision, and encourage a lifetime of good health—who knows, she might even become the real mayor one day!

A portrait of a mother and child in matching outfits

Isabel and Ariana pose for a photo during the distribution.

The duo stayed until all eligible children received interventions and the pregnant women had collected prenatal vitamins and minerals. Such high community participation reinforced their commitment to health and the importance of showing up together. As the crowd began to disperse, Arianna and Isabel headed home, hand in hand.

A boy receives a dose of vitamin A, assisted by his mother.

Ian (4) receives a dose of vitamin A, accompanied by his mother, Elissa.

Since 2012, our work in the Dominican Republic has made a tremendous impact on families like Arianna and Isabel’s, providing:

  • 1,582,777 pregnant women and babies with prenatal vitamins & minerals 
  • 9,081,500 children with vitamin A and/or deworming treatments

Our collaborative efforts are contributing to meaningful change across the island country. Since 2012, the under-5 mortality rate in the Dominican Republic has declined from 31.8 per 1,000 live births to 29.4, while stunting has decreased from 7.9% in 2012 to 5.6%.1

Isabel heads out of her house on another adventure in her neighborhood.

Colorfully painted houses line a dirt road in the Dominican Republic.

Sudden tropical downpours can quickly create puddles and flooding out of dirt roads.

An afternoon’s activity along a road through San Pedro de Macoris.

Laundry hangs to dry on a line between homes.

Sugar cane remains a significant agricultural crop in San Pedro de Macorís, playing a key role in the region’s economy.

1 UNICEF. Dominican Republic. (n.d.) – https://data.unicef.org/country/dom/#nutrition