How does a cup of coffee with friends turn into a worldwide organization?
When it comes to the passion of our founding members, big dreams were just part of the territory.
Starting with our five founders meeting in a Guelph, Ontario café in 2005, Veterinarians Without Borders has become a full-fledged veterinary organization in Canada that is working to better the health of animals, people, and the environment in Canada and around the world.
From day one, the passion, dedication, and commitment of our organization has ranked off the scale. and within the first few months, Aeroplan committed to providing Aeroplan Miles for much-needed travel support for our projects, allowing us to work with communities in person, with on the ground, grassroots initiatives.
Within the first year, Veterinarians Without Borders received significant government funding in recognition of our ecohealth approach, and validation that it is a good strategy for communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America and for people back home.
By working to decrease disease prevalence in developing nations, we can thereby lower the incidences of zoonoses—diseases that are passed from animals to humans, like Avian Bird Influenza and SARS—around the world. The net result is a healthier planet for everyone, including Canadians.
Thanks to the dedication, commitment and generosity of our volunteers, our donors and our sponsors, and our Board and staff, we’ve come a long way toward big picture solutions.
Today, we work in over a dozen countries around the world. Our projects are supported by individual donors, foundations, government, and corporations. You can be a part of our successes; join the big picture and help us create: healthy animals, healthy people, and a healthy planet.
This story profiles Donatha Anyinkamiye, Executive Secretary of Tare Sector, whose leadership and advocacy are helping COHERS turn One Health awareness into lasting, community-led change in Rwanda.
In this edition of Ask an Expert, we connected with Dave Shuey, a Veterinary Social Worker with IndeVets, about the growing field of veterinary social work and how innovative practice models can help bring balance, fulfilment, and sustainability back to veterinary medicine.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Grace Friesen, an Animal Health Advisor who spent three months in Kenya (May–August 2025) with our local partner, Meru Dairy, helping farmers improve herd health and milk production while learning firsthand how knowledge exchange can strengthen entire communities.
