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Volunteering With VWB/VSF

A group of volunteers and local residents standing in front of a brick building.

Veterinarians Without Borders/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VWB/VSF) was founded in 2005 to facilitate volunteerism by Canadian veterinarians in developing countries around the world. Since that time volunteers have played an important role in VWB/VSF's work. 

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Two people biking through a grassy field. A wooden hut and cattle are in the background.

Volunteer With VWB/VSF

The Volunteers Engaged in Gender Responsive Technical Solutions (VETS) program aims to mobilize more than 190 volunteers in Africa and Asia over a seven-year period. 

The program participants include veterinarians, veterinary technologists, animal and human nutritionists, professors of veterinary medicine, veterinary clinic managers, rural development specialists, business development advisors, monitoring and evaluation, gender specialists and others.

Volunteer placements range from three weeks to two years, depending on the nature of the position.

See Positions   Meet Some Of Our Volunteers

Why Volunteer With Us?

There are many reasons to become a Veterinarians Without Borders volunteer. Here are a few:

  • Volunteers support our partner organizations to make a positive difference in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
  • International volunteers contribute to meaningful initiatives and gain profound personal benefits through sharing skills and experience in complex and interesting contexts.
  • Volunteers often return to their lives and jobs inspired and refreshed, with a renewed sense of passion for animal welfare and international cooperation.
  • In stepping into another country and culture, volunteers experience tremendous personal growth while learning firsthand about the interconnected and ever-shrinking world we share.

Young boy holds a goat while a volunteer administers a vaccination.

Join our team!

Are you interested in volunteering with Vets Without Borders? We'd love to have you! To apply for an open position, follow the links below to read the position descriptions and submit your application.

Questions? Email volunteer@vetswithoutborders.ca and we'll be happy to help.

VETS Program | International

ANIMAL HEALTH

HEALTH, GENDER, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

COMMUNICATIONS, MONITORING & EVALUATION, AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Don't see what you're looking for? Submit your Expression of Interest for volunteer positions with us.

Young Volunteer Program

We are currently accepting applications for Summer 2024. Apply now!
Deadline: October 23, 2023

VWB/VSF's Young Volunteer Program aims to improve food security and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the global south while providing Canadian students and recent graduates with opportunities to learn and grow in a cross-cultural setting. 

Ukraine Response

Northern Animal Health Initiative | Northern Canada

What makes an effective volunteer?

International volunteers often experience new and challenging circumstances. It's hard to know how we will react until we face those challenges. However, there are personal and professional qualities that help to identify people who will be effective volunteering and living in another country.

It is important to be flexible. International volunteers often need to adapt to unfamiliar circumstances. At times you could experience inconvenience or discomfort. Volunteers need the self-confidence to take action on their own. The most effective volunteers also thrive as collaborative team members, overcoming cultural and language barriers to share accomplishments as part of a team.

International volunteering is an opportunity to develop and strengthen skills and abilities that will last a lifetime.

If you would like to contribute to the health of animals, people, and the planet, then a volunteer assignment may be right for you.

Stories From Around The World

Blazing the Trail: Coming Together to Help Hay River Animals Affected by NWT Wildfires

Blazing the Trail: Coming Together to Help Hay River Animals Affected by NWT Wildfires

VWB/VSF teamed up with NS SPCA and Wings of Rescue to secure care for 16 dogs evacuated from the Hay River, NWT wildfires.

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Meet our Summer 2023 Access to Care Award scholarship recipients!

Meet our Summer 2023 Access to Care Award scholarship recipients!

Meet Kandis Villebrun and Tannicka Reeves, VWB/VSF's Summer 2023 Access to Care scholarship recipients.

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A reflection on Ukraine: VWB/VSF's John Peaveler discusses loss, hope, and moving forward

A reflection on Ukraine: VWB/VSF's John Peaveler discusses loss, hope, and moving forward

VWB/VSF's International Companion Animal & Humanitarian Response Specialist, John Peaveler, shares his learnings from a recent trip to Ukraine.

Read more

  • My voluntary assignments in Ghana for the past three years have dramatically improved animal production in terms of reducing mortality and increasing the size of the herd/flock.
    - Joseph Ansong-Danquah

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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