Country: Uganda, Kenya
Position: Animal Health Worker, Dairy Specialist, Field Veterinarian
International Partner: MERU Dairy Co-operative, SNV
Placement Dates: May 2009, February 2017, August 2017
Dr. Laura-Anne Kutryk is a veteran of three VWB/VSF-related volunteer placements. The first, in 2009 when she was a student, was through the Global Vets Program working with the Goat Pass-On Project in Uganda. She did a three-week placement in Kenya in February 2017 where she worked with dairy co-op members to improve the health of their cattle. Her most recent placement saw her return to Uganda for a 4 month assignment designed to improve herd health and management for dairy farmers.
Laura is a graduate of the Western Canada College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon and has completed an advanced program for Dairy Veterinarians at Cornell University. She has practiced in Stettler, Cold Lake, and Bonnyville, Alberta.
In this edition of #VETSVolunteerVoices, we shift perspective — from volunteer reflections to the voice of a local leader shaping change on the ground. Dr. Victoria Norgbey has dedicated over four decades to strengthening Ghana’s poultry sector and empowering women through WIPVaC-Apex Ghana, a key VETS partner.
As the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists unfolds, VWB explores why mobility is not a barrier to care — but a blueprint for designing resilient, equitable animal health systems in rangeland and remote communities.
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.
