VITAMIN ANGELS EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF INDONESIA TO STRENGTHEN NATIONWIDE VITAMIN A CAMPAIGN

Collaboration strengthened health worker training, communication strategies, monitoring and evaluation, and delivered 870,000 vitamin A capsules for children across Indonesia.

Vitamin A can reduce child mortality by up to 24% among children ages 6 to 59 months in populations at risk of vitamin A deficiency, according to the World Health Organization.

BOGOR, Indonesia, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, Vitamin Angels supported the Ministry of Health of Indonesia in implementing the country's national vitamin A supplementation program, marking the first time the organization has directly supported the Ministry's nationwide campaign. Vitamin Angels provided health worker training, updated communication strategies, monitoring and evaluation support, and 870,000 vitamin A capsules to strengthen one of Indonesia's largest child health campaigns.

The effort builds on more than a decade of Vitamin Angels' work in Indonesia. Since 2015, the organization has supported vitamin A supplementation and deworming (VAS+D) through local nongovernmental organizations across the country. This expanded collaboration with the Ministry of Health marks a new milestone in Vitamin Angels' long-standing commitment to improving child nutrition and supporting government-led nutrition programs across the country.

Every February and August, the Ministry of Health of Indonesia leads a nationwide vitamin A supplementation campaign, providing vitamin A to children ages 6 to 59 months to support healthy vision, immune function, growth, and development. Vitamin A is proven to reduce child mortality by up to 24% in populations at risk of vitamin A deficiency, making effective implementation critical. According to the 2023 National Health Survey (Survei Kesehatan Indonesia), 21.5% of children under age five were stunted and 8.5% experienced wasting, underscoring the importance of delivering proven nutrition interventions that support healthy child growth and development. Despite the program's scale, ensuring every eligible child receives the recommended two doses each year remains an ongoing challenge. The same survey reported that 49.9% of eligible children received one dose of vitamin A, while only 32.2% received the recommended two doses, highlighting opportunities to strengthen implementation nationwide.

To support those efforts, Vitamin Angels worked alongside the Ministry of Health to strengthen multiple aspects of program implementation including review of existing information, education, and communication materials, helped develop updated communication strategies and behavior change resources, pre-tested campaign materials, strengthened monitoring and evaluation activities, trained frontline health workers, and helped ensure vitamin A supplies were available for the August campaign.

"The greatest impact comes when governments lead and partners strengthen what's already working," said Otte Santika, Indonesia Country Advisor, Vitamin Angels. "Supporting the Ministry of Health's national campaign for the first time marks an important milestone in our work to improve child health in Indonesia. We're proud to contribute our technical expertise and experience to help strengthen a program that reaches millions of children across the country and continues to improve with each campaign."

One of the campaign's largest initiatives focused on strengthening the capacity of frontline health workers responsible for delivering vitamin A services across the country. Vitamin Angels supported a national webinar led by the Ministry of Health featuring ministry leaders, pediatric nutrition experts, and communication specialists. The live training reached 3,755 participants from across Indonesia. Within a few days of its release on the Ministry of Health's digital learning platform, the recorded webinar had been viewed by an additional 17,995 participants (as of August 11, 2026), demonstrating strong demand for practical guidance and professional development among health workers nationwide.

"Indonesia's National Vitamin A Supplementation Program plays a critical role in protecting the health and development of children across the country," said Dr. Lovely Daisy, MKM, Director of Family Health Services, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, during the vitamin A webinar on July 27, 2026. "We appreciate Vitamin Angels' support in strengthening health worker capacity, improving communication strategies, supporting monitoring and evaluation, and helping ensure vitamin A was available for this campaign. Together, we are building an even stronger program that will benefit more children in the years ahead."

In addition to technical support, Vitamin Angels responded to an urgent request from the Ministry to help secure vitamin A capsules ahead of the August campaign. Working with local manufacturer Kimia Farma and Ministry officials, the organization coordinated procurement and delivery of 870,000 vitamin A capsules. The rapid response helped ensure uninterrupted implementation of the nationwide campaign and timely distribution to children throughout Indonesia.

The August campaign also laid the foundation for continued improvements. Following implementation, Vitamin Angels will continue supporting the Ministry's monitoring and evaluation activities, refinement of communication strategies and educational materials, and planning for the February 2027 Vitamin A Supplementation Month. Lessons learned from this campaign will help strengthen future implementation and support the Ministry's efforts to reach more children with essential nutrition services.

ABOUT VITAMIN ANGELS
Founded in 1994, Vitamin Angels is a global health nonprofit committed to improving the nutrition and health of underserved women and children. The organization works through an extensive network of partners—including governments—by strengthening, extending, and amplifying their impact to reach the most nutritionally vulnerable groups: pregnant women, infants, and young children in low-resource settings globally. Through proven maternal and child nutrition solutions, research, technical assistance, and advocacy, Vitamin Angels impacts the lives of 74 million women and children in approximately 65 countries, including in all 50 US states, each year. Earning the highest marks for financial transparency from both Charity Navigator and GuideStar, Vitamin Angels envisions a world where everyone, everywhere, has a chance to fulfill their potential. To learn more, visit vitaminangels.org.

SOURCE Vitamin Angels