VWB's Northern Animal Health Initiative aims to improve animal health in Canada's North by providing services for underserved communities across Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Northern Animal Health Initiative (NAHI)
Goal: To build capacity for animal health care across Canada's North by providing veterinary clinics and training to remote communities that have no access to veterinary professionals. In doing so, we aim to help strengthen the health of both community members and domesticated animals living in Canada's territories.
Location: Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Groups We Work With: Remote communities, including Indigenous communities, across northern Canada. VWB works with each community on an invite-only basis.
The Situation
Those who live in large urban communities in North America are fortunate to have access to veterinary professionals who can provide our animals with care, including vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, and general care when our animals are injured or sick. For the majority of pet guardians across Canada's remote North, these services are simply unavailable.
In fact, a 2017 study conducted on behalf of VWB/VSF found 54 remote communities of 100 or more people in Canada’s three northern territories had little or no access to veterinary services. In the entire territory of Nunavut, there is not a single veterinary office.
What We Are Doing
VWB uses the One Health model to partner with remote communities in the Canadian territories upon their invitation. We work with each community to identify needs and build a plan with community representatives to build local capacity to address animal care needs year-round. This includes offering temporary veterinary clinics with a team of volunteers.
While at these clinics, we offer:
Sustainable Veterinary Care
Sustainable veterinary care means more than flying in veterinarians once a year. Community members trained in certain procedures, access to telemedicine, and other solutions tailored for specific communities are essential components of sustainability.
Click the infographic to download / enlarge it.
Resources for Northern communities
Meet Our NAHI Program Partners:
VWB’s northern work is made possible thanks to the generous support of these incredible partners.
Khadia Diallo’s story reveals how women Community Animal Health Workers in rural Senegal are strengthening disease prevention from the ground up — caring for animals, supporting families, and translating One Health principles into everyday practice through the COHERS program.
A community awareness event in rural Senegal offers a window into how local partners and Community Animal Health Workers are building a culture of prevention through dialogue, trust, and repeated engagement under the COHERS program.
A mass vaccination campaign in rural Senegal reveals how Community Animal Health Workers are strengthening prevention, extending veterinary services, and protecting livelihoods in hard-to-reach communities through the COHERS program.
