VWB welcomes Janine Mitchell as its new Executive Director, bringing over 20 years of global health and One Health leadership across 30+ countries. As she works alongside outgoing ED Charmaine Brett during the transition, Janine is poised to guide VWB into its next chapter—advancing its mission and 2025–2030 Strategic Plan to improve lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen communities worldwide.
#VETSVolunteerVoices aims to bring you the stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Elise Tessier, an Epidemiology Advisor who spent 10 weeks in Cambodia (March–May 2025) supporting a zoonotic disease risk reduction project with our local partner, AVSF Cambodia.
This article explores the persistent threat of anthrax and the critical need for community-led surveillance in preventing zoonotic outbreaks. It highlights how VWB’s One Health approach—through the COHERS program, CAHW training, and gender-responsive outreach—strengthens local capacity to detect and manage neglected diseases, protecting both human and animal health in vulnerable communities.
As VWB’s Executive Director, Charmaine Brett, prepares to step down in September, she reflects on four years of transformative global work, celebrating milestones in animal care, community resilience, and One Health initiatives. With its bold 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, VWB remains committed to advancing its mission and recruiting new leadership to build on this momentum.
#VETSVolunteerVoices aims to bring you the stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Ian Parfitt, a GIS Mapping Advisor who spent three months in Cambodia (January–April 2025) supporting organic agriculture and digital transformation with our local partner, AVSF Cambodia.
This article examines how a One Health approach can transform food safety systems by addressing the interconnected health of people, animals, and the environment—highlighting the importance of cross-sector collaboration, innovations like Canada’s CFSIN, and global strategies to mitigate risks such as antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and zoonotic disease.
VWB announces the upcoming departure of Executive Director Charmaine Brett, who will step down in September after four years of visionary leadership. As Charmaine begins a new chapter, VWB remains grounded in its mission and Strategic Plan—continuing to lead global One Health efforts that improve lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen communities.
Watch a replay of our World Environment Day 2025 webinar which showcased the voices of VWB’s VETS volunteers working alongside local partners to advance climate-smart agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and One Health solutions. The panelists shared community-led approaches, environmental challenges, and practical innovations from Cambodia, Kenya, and Laos.
From climate-resilient farming to women-led food systems, this impact report explores the achievements of the AGROW program in rural Cambodia. Implemented by VWB from 2022 to 2024 and funded by Global Affairs Canada, AGROW empowered over 21,000 individuals—primarily women—through sustainable agriculture, animal health services, and a holistic One Health approach.
This blog shares firsthand accounts from VWB’s earthquake response in Myanmar, highlighting how local partners are delivering urgent care to people and animals alike, and demonstrating the impact of a locally led, One Health approach in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Donald Hilborn, an Agricultural Advisor from Ontario who recently completed his third VETS placement in Kenya (March–April 2026) with our local partner, Meru Dairy, supporting small-scale dairy farmers in building more sustainable and resilient feeding systems.
In recognition of International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, VWB reflects on how healthy rangelands, community-led animal health systems, and pastoralist knowledge help sustain resilience across working landscapes worldwide.
Based on field insights from Senegal, this blog examines how VWB’s COHERS program is helping drive early gender-transformative change at the household level — reshaping who decides, who acts, and how families respond to risks affecting both human and animal health.
