Vets Without Borders has an open Animal Health Advisor volunteer position in Kenya with our partner, Meru Dairy.

Volunteer Placement Details

Position Title: Animal Health (Dairy) Advisor

Country: Kenya

Location: Meru

Partner Organization: Meru Dairy

Duration: 3-4 months (flexible)

Start Date: September 2026 onwards (flexible)

Pre-departure Training: VWB/VSF will provide training orientation.

Eligibility: Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada only

Language: English (essential). Volunteer will have support of translator for some duties

Academic Requirements: Degree and/or relevant experience in animal health and welfare (Degree of Veterinary Medicine, animal husbandry, animal health) or a related field

Fundraising: VWB/VSF encourages each volunteer to raise funds towards the organization’s operations.

Volunteer Support Package

VWB offers you an incredible experience to take part in an international volunteer experience where you will expand your personal and professional skills while contributing to global development. VWB commits to supporting you throughout your volunteer journey and will cover the majority of the costs involved in being an overseas volunteer, including:

Return airfare to placement country
Pre-departure training
In-country orientation upon arrival in country of placement
Return airfare to placement country
Visa/permit costs
The cost of required for vaccinations and anti-malarial medication
Overseas emergency travel health insurance
A monthly living allowance (MLA) that will be paid into the volunteer’s bank account in Canada. The MLA is designed to be sufficient to cover simple housing, basic food requirements, and other typical monthly living expenses.
Debrief after the placement

Placement Goals and Responsibilities

As the Animal Health Advisor based in Meru, Kenya you will support Meru Central Dairy Co-operative Union to support dairy groups in increasing daily milk production and reduce losses due to disease and low-quality milk.

As part of your role, you will:

Support in developing technical capacities through training to extension officers and animal health technicians
Support in training of Community One Health Champions - these are a group of lead farmers who offer basic animal welfare training to fellow farmers after making changes on their own farms
Support in training community dairy groups on dairy farming
Build capacity of staff members by training them on areas such as general animal welfare, disease prevention and management, biosecurity measures etc.
Promote gender equality by reviewing all placement activities through a gender lens. Training on gender equality will be provided.
Ensure an environmental and sustainability climate action lens is applied throughout the placement by integrating climate friendly solutions and activities where applicable during the placement.
Promote human rights by promoting inclusive activities and ensuring the rights of marginalized individuals are protected where applicable during the placement.
Participate in pre-assignment training
Submit reports as required by the partner organization and by VWB

Required Experience and Skills

Degree and/or relevant experience in animal health and welfare (Degree of Veterinarian Medicine, animal husbandry, animal health) or a related field
Minimum two (2) years relevant professional experience in your field of expertise
A commitment to gender equality, One Health principles, and international volunteering
Flexibility, adaptability, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity
Experience with group facilitation and trainings, including content development considered an asset
Experience living and working internationally considered an asset

Working Conditions

Handling large animals
Should be comfortable being driven on gravel/murram roads.
Lifting and carrying light weight items related to animal health practice

VETS Volunteer Application

Personal Information

First Name/Last Name

Email Address

City (optional)

Country (optional)

Eligibility Requirements

Due to funder requirements, Canadian International Volunteers must be either Canadian citizens or permanent residents in order to be eligible to volunteer. Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are residing outside of Canada and/or who do not have a Canadian permanent address are eligible to apply.

Due to VWB's volunteer insurance eligibility requirements, we are unable to recruit volunteers over the age of 79 years of age for international assignments.

Please note that final selection as an international volunteer is subject to completion of a criminal record verification and approval by VWB's insurance provider. International volunteers will also require a valid passport with an expiry date that must exceed the assignment end date by at least six months.

I confirm that I understand and meet the above eligibility requirements.

Yes

Application

Please tell us the earliest date you would be available to start a volunteer placement

Why do you want to volunteer with VWB/VSF? (max 350 words)

Additional Information

Where did you hear about this position?

(Optional) How do you self-identify? Please select all that apply

Prefer not to answer

I am Indigenous (Aboriginal); that is First Nations (North American), Métis, or Inuit or International (non-Canadian) Indigenous

I am a racialized person (member of a visible minority) other than Indigenous (Aboriginal)

I am a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community

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(Optional) What is your gender identity? By gender, we mean your self-identified gender, which may differ from the sex assigned at birth or from the one entered in legal documents.

Application Submission

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Our Commitment

Veterinarians Without Borders/Vétérinaires sans Frontières is an equal opportunity employer and values the diversity of our team.

We are committed to inclusive and equitable employment practices and strive to create a workplace that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion. VWB/VSF Canada welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, including members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, women, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity.

Please let us know if you require an accommodation and we will work with you to ensure an equitable hiring process. Thank you for your interest in VWB/VSF Canada.

About the Project: VETS

Volunteers Engaged in Gender Responsive Technical Solutions (VETS), funded through the Volunteer Cooperation Program at Global Affairs Canada, will engage 190 volunteers to work with local partner organizations in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Volunteers will help create integrated animal health systems to increase the livelihoods and household nutrition of small-scale farmers. The VETS program utilizes the skills of volunteers to build local partner capacity to support community members, primarily women, to reduce poverty. Through improved production of livestock and crops, volunteers help improve family income and nutrition.

The VETS program is built around the One Health concept, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the natural environment are interconnected. This project promotes the production of more and better food and increased incomes from livestock, all the while promoting land rehabilitation and conservation for sustainable development.

Learn More About The VETS Project

About Veterinarians Without Borders

In the global south, more than 90 percent of food animals are raised by subsistence farmers. However, small-scale livestock producers, the majority of whom are women, have very limited access to quality and affordable animal health services.

Aside from the risks associated with the loss of valuable livestock that provides important protein and/or income for low-income households, zoonotic diseases that can be passed from animals to humans offer a very real threat to human health on a wider scale.

Veterinarians Without Borders/Vétérinaires sans frontières (VWB/VSF) works for and with communities in need to foster the health of animals, people, and the environments that sustain us. VWB/VSF works nationally and internationally to train animal health workers, increase food security, and improve animal and public health.

VWB/VSF provides overseas volunteer placements for veterinarians and other animal and public health professionals.

Learn More About VWB

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