Tanja Kisslinger is the Director of Communications at Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord.
Tanja is a cross-cultural storyteller and communications-for-development specialist. For more than 18 years, she has worked with international development and relief organizations (such as CARE International, Save the Children, Children in Crossfire, and Medair) to promote and protect human rights. Along the way, Tanja has lived, worked and volunteered in diverse places, including Tanzania, Zambia, India, Cambodia, Nepal, Mongolia, Romania, Peru, and Jordan.
Across countries and contexts, Tanja’s aim is consistent: to give voice and visibility to situations of injustice or vulnerability. This path began with a study of political prisoners in the USA (a graduate thesis) and has gone on to include work with street children in Tanzania, displaced families in post-earthquake Nepal, and food insecure communities in Southern Africa. Tanja recently worked with CARE Canada’s Global Health department, where she led and implemented the 3.5 year “Feed Her Future” engagement campaign (@FeedHerFuture). The campaign raised awareness of the social and gender norms that affect women’s and children’s access to nutrition in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia.
Tanja holds a Master’s degree in Criminology and an Honors degree in Psychology. She also holds professional certifications in communication across cultures and in emergencies.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you inspiring stories from the field, showcasing the impactful work of our dedicated VETS program volunteers. Meet Dr. Riley Bauman (DVM), an Animal Health Advisor who spent two months in Kenya (April–June 2025), working alongside smallholder dairy farmers and Meru Dairy staff to promote animal health, gender equity, and sustainable livelihoods.
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.
#VETSVolunteerVoices aims to bring you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. This blog was written by Guy Audet, a Business Development Advisor who supported our VETS program partner, WIPVaC-Apex, in Ghana from March to May 2025.
