Vitamin angels - Snapshots: people you'd want to know - Vitamin Angel Alliance, non-profit organization distributes vitamins around the world to prevent disease

Most people experience a significant epiphany at some point in their lives, an "Ah, ha!" moment when there's a sudden spark of knowledge and understanding.

Howard Schiffer's light bulb flashed brightly the moment he realized it would cost only 5 cents per child, each year, to prevent childhood blindness. He decided that distributing vitamin A capsules to children around the world would be one of his most important missions.

In 1994, to accomplish his vision of basic nutrition for adults and children worldwide, Schiffer founded the Vitamin Angel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes vitamins to people in need. Last year, Vitamin Angel distributed 12.6 million supplements to people in 40 different countries. This year, that number will come close to doubling.

"For many of the people we serve, nutrition is the difference between life and death," Schiffer says. "With a small amount of supplements, we can have a big impact."

Millions of children die or go blind each year as a result of vitamin deficiencies, according to Vitamin Angel's Web site (www.vitaminangel.org). For the people the organization works with, vitamin C tablets help prevent scurvy, and vitamin D and calcium help ward off rickets. And lust two large-dose vitamin A capsules can prevent blindness in children aged 6 months to 6 years.

"The amazing thing about Vitamin Angel is that it won't take years of research or billions of dollars to make a difference," Schiffer says. "We can prevent blindness now. The cost is insignificant compared with the results."

Schiller says most donations are generated by word of mouth and the forwarding of Vitamin Angel's monthly entail newsletter. Each month, 5-25 different companies--nutritional supplement manufacturers, distributors trod retailers--donate vitamins. These goods are then distributed to individuals, families and communities in areas suffering from natural disasters, war, civil strife and poverty.

To understand the importance of basic nutrition in the communities that Vitamin Angel serves, Schiffer points to a study that the World Health Organization issued in October of last year, which says the No. 1 health risk factor that accounted lot 57 million deaths worldwide was lack of food. And that's on top of AIDS, cancer and heart disease. In addition, nearly one-quarter of all humanity--1.4 billion people--lives in absolute poverty, which contributes to the 857 million people--one in seven--who are chronically undernourished.

"I've always wanted to do something more," Schiffer says. "I want to be able to take on all countries and keep expanding our reach. With the right support, we can do it."

Vitamin Angel's most recent program reflects Schiffer's determination to prevent blindness worldwide. With enough vitamin A donations, his goal is to eradicate childhood blindness in India by 2005. He says that within 3 years, Vitamin Angel hopes to reach 6 million children, lactating mothers and their babies. And he won't stop there; Schiffer's next goal is to expand the program to China.

"The more you really do," Schiffer says, "the more you think is possible."

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