#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.
Megan Sylka, Senior Program Officer at VWB, shares how her recent visit to Kenya revealed the powerful ripple effects of the VETS program—highlighting how Community One Health Champion Shelmith Mwai is transforming her dairy farm, her family dynamics, and her community through knowledge, leadership, and collaboration.
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.
Across war-torn regions in Ukraine the destruction stretches for kilometres. Homes are reduced to rubble, communities have been displaced, and many animals, often the forgotten victims of war, are left to fend for themselves in dangerous, unstable conditions. With your help, along with our local partners, we can ensure that help is there for animals that need it most.
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.
This article explores the critical importance of integrating animal welfare into disaster preparedness, drawing on current research, offering practical strategies, and highlighting how VWB’s One Health initiatives build resilience by strengthening animal health systems and safeguarding livelihoods before and after disasters strike.
This article explores how VWB’s goat farming and cheese-making initiative in Ukraine supported rural families in rebuilding livelihoods during conflict—highlighting sustainable agriculture, community-led training, and a replicable model for economic resilience.
Written by Janine Mitchell, Executive Director of VWB, in recognition of One Health Day (November 3), this article draws on the FAO Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems and the VSF International General Assembly to explore what it takes to turn One Health commitments into action—from building equitable partnerships and strengthening collaboration to ensuring practical systems and accountability.
On September 30, VWB joins Canadians in marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. We reflect on the importance of listening, learning, and respectful relationships in our work alongside Indigenous communities in northern Canada, and share resources for continued learning.
Watch a replay of our World Rabies Day 2026 webinar, which brought together perspectives from Alaska, Ukraine, and Laos to explore why rabies persists despite being preventable — and what stronger access, local capacity, coordination, and resilient animal and human health systems can contribute to progress toward ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
