Our Approach | Veterinarians Without Borders
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Our Approach

Rice field in Vietnam.

One health for everyone, everywhere. 

Close up of a woman wearing a colourful skirt and shirt holding hay with a chicken in the background.

Ecohealth & One Health 

From the beginning, Veterinarians Without Borders has kept an eye on the Big Picture when designing and implementing projects around the world. Our approach is best defined by the related concepts of Ecohealth and One Health, which suggest that people and animals can only be healthy if the environment they live in is healthy.

This means clean air and water, soil healthy enough to support plants, and animals - both wild and domestic - that are healthy and available as sources of food that will not transmit disease to humans. 

Our approach ensures that people and communities are involved in the decisions that affect their health and environment. Our focus on animals is just part of our care for the delicate balance of health that includes soil, air, water, topography, population density, markets, culture, and tradition.

Your Support Means Everything

Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord couldn't do the work we do without your support. Whether it's a financial donation or a donation of your time, by improving the health of animals you will be working to improve the health and quality of life for people throughout the world.

VOLUNTEER WITH US DONATE TODAY

Our Approach: How do we do it?

A key to the approach is collaboration - across disciplines, professions, and groups - that builds holistic solutions with a lens of inter-connectedness. One Health has its roots in veterinary medicine but has come to involve human health practitioners, social scientists, environmental scientists, and others. 

Focused On Health

We focus on animal health care as integrally tied to human and ecosystem health. By treating all three, we create sustainable solutions for the planet.

High Local Impact

Our work happens on the ground in every program country: in community meetings, training local people on animal health care, delivering vaccinations, helping to form co-ops, training women, children and families in food production, nutrition, husbandry and disease control.

Repeatable & Sustainable

Our projects are built to be repeatable and to promote sustainability over the long term so that communities can grow independent and strong and act as models for others.

Built On Respect

We respect people, culture, local knowledge, human rights, laws and customs, animal welfare, and the environment.

Community Guided

We are guided by the communities we work with and we are committed to participatory and inclusive approaches to development. Sustainable solutions are most often created when locally identified and owned.

Committed To Learning

We are committed to sharing our expertise and knowledge and continuously learning from our partners.

Stories From Around The World

South Sudan Program Impact: Resilience and Community Transformation in Torit County

South Sudan Program Impact: Resilience and Community Transformation in Torit County

As phase one (March 2023-March 2024) of our resilience and livelihood program in South Sudan completes, we share key activities, achievements and program impacts. Building upon success, phase two of our critical work in the region is already underway.

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Learn more about volunteering internationally with VETS: April 23rd, 5-7pm EST in Ottawa

Learn more about volunteering internationally with VETS: April 23rd, 5-7pm EST in Ottawa

Are you passionate about making a difference on a global scale? Do you dream of volunteering overseas and empowering communities in need? Then mark your calendars for an event you won't want to miss...

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Ask an Expert: How has the animal health landscape changed in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion?

Ask an Expert: How has the animal health landscape changed in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion?

Born and raised in Ukraine, VWB's Daria Kuznetsova has witnessed, first-hand, the impacts of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She tackles the current state of animal health in Ukraine and how things have changed since the start of the war started in 2022.

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  • I have seen first-hand the benefits of capacity building and gender empowerment for smallholder livestock farmers, and stakeholders in the livestock sector.
    - Dr. Shauna Richards

Become A Part Of The Big Picture

By supporting Veterinarians Without Borders through donations or volunteering, you become part of the Big Picture solution. 

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