Phet Sounthonnavong is the Country Co-ordinator, Laos with Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord.
Phet has over 27 years of experience in international development setting. She has worked in various sectors in Laos including six years of professional management of international volunteer program as a Country Program Manager - her knowledge of the local context, culture, and traditions enables her to provide exceptional care to international volunteers, and outstanding support to partner organizations. She has also worked in public health, agricultural relief, inclusive education, vocational training, and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)/mine action.
She has been well trained in Exploded Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) by Handicap International France, UNICEF, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, UNDP, and National Regulatory Authority (Mine Action Centre in Laos). She is a very experienced EORE practitioner and is passionate about Behavioural Change approach. She has implemented various EORE and UXO Victim Assistance projects for international non-governmental organizations. She has critical experience in the interplay between EORE and UXO Victim Assistance. She was instrumental in work on the epidemiological case-control study and played a key role in the UNDP EORE KAP survey conducted by RK Consulting (EOD) Ltd.
Phet is a dog whisperer and animal lover. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her dog, family and friends, traveling, and cooking her favourite meals and experimenting new recipes in the kitchen.
Register now for our upcoming World Rabies Day webinar which explores how One Health approaches are driving change, shares practical insights from the frontlines of rabies prevention, and highlights how local efforts are contributing to the global goal of ending human rabies deaths by 2030.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate volunteers from the field. Meet Dayo Olaniyan, a Gender Advisor who spent three months in Ghana (May–August 2025) with our local partner, GAPNET, strengthening gender equity in livestock production and empowering rural communities.
In this edition of Ask an Expert, we connected with Dr. Richard Rusk, a public health physician and clinician who grew up in South Africa and is now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With expertise in the epidemiology of infectious and vector-borne diseases, he brings both human and animal clinical experience, along with a systems-level perspective, to addressing challenges facing communities in Canada and around the world.
