Sterling, Virginia – INMED Partnerships for Children (INMED) is pleased to celebrate 30 years of global partnership with Johnson & Johnson (J&J), transforming the lives of more than 9 million children and their family members through programs focused on health and nutrition as well as disease prevention and treatment. This milestone also coincides with the 30-year anniversary of INMED’s founding by Dr. Linda Pfeiffer.
Headquartered in Sterling, VA, INMED is a nonprofit organization that rescues children from the immediate and irreversible harm of disease, hunger, abuse, neglect, violence, homelessness or instability and equips them for successful futures. INMED’s programs with J&J have ranged from HIV/AIDS prevention to maternal and child health education to mass deworming campaigns. The partnership has delivered life-saving assistance to hundreds of underserved communities—from the far reaches of the Amazon to remote regions of Brazil.
“This long-term success with J&J is a key example of INMED’s ability to collaboratively leverage the resources of public- and private-sector partners to empower children to become agents of change in their families,” notes INMED Founder and CEO Dr. Linda Pfeiffer. “Through our community and school-based interventions and educational programs, children encourage healthier behavior at home, leading to better nutrition, healthier lifestyles and economic improvement in their communities.”
INMED began procuring low-cost medicines, such as the deworming medicine Vermox™ (mebendazole), from Johnson & Johnson/Janssen in Belgium in 1986 and began working in formal partnership on mass deworming programs in Brazil in 1993. Johnson & Johnson has been donating mebendazole in Peru since 2006 and today is providing enough treatment for 6 million individuals annually.
Other successful programs delivered in partnership with J&J include:
• Maternal and Child Health Initiatives in Peru and Brazil: More than 5,300 community health workers trained to deliver prenatal and neonatal health services and education to women in remote regions of Brazil and Peru. Seven maternity waiting homes established in Peru for women from remote regions or with high-risk pregnancies to be near health care facilities for safer births.
• Preventive Health and Hygiene Education: More than 3 million children and 30,000 teachers, cafeteria workers and community health workers trained in disease prevention.
• Anemia Treatment and Micronutrient Supplementation: Thousands of children treated over 23 years.
• Disaster Relief: Funding and 125,000 personal hygiene items and products donated by J&J for INMED to help 80,000 individuals left homeless after massive floding in Pernambuco, Brazil.
• Maternal and Child Health Initiatives in Peru and Brazil: More than 5,300 community health workers trained to deliver prenatal and neonatal health services and education to women in remote regions of Brazil and Peru. Seven maternity waiting homes established in Peru for women from remote regions or with high-risk pregnancies to be near health care facilities for safer births.
• Preventive Health and Hygiene Education: More than 3 million children and 30,000 teachers, cafeteria workers and community health workers trained in disease prevention.
• Anemia Treatment and Micronutrient Supplementation: Thousands of children treated over 23 years.
• Disaster Relief: Funding and 125,000 personal hygiene items and products donated by J&J for INMED to help 80,000 individuals left homeless after massive floding in Pernambuco, Brazil.
“Through our partnership with INMED, we have helped to positively change health scenarios in Brazil, such as the deworming program that has given millions of people access to medicine and has led to healthier children,” notes Ewerton Nunes, Social Responsibility Manager for Johnson & Johnson Brasil. “INMED also has been an important partner in educating children and adolescents about healthy habits. It is a great example of how we can improve—and in many cases save—people’s lives.”
For more information about INMED and to read inspiring success stories from the INMED-J&J partnership, visit http://powerin30.org/celebrating-30-years-of-partnership/. A variety of photos and captions also are available upon request.
