VSF-NL’s mission
VSF operates in remote areas in Africa. Our Dutch branch has projects in Malawi. In this country, there is a shortage of veterinarians; if an animal falls ill, then the farmer often cannot treat it. If the animal dies, then an important source of manure, food and income is lost. That’s why we train community animal health workers who can look after the health of livestock within their communities.
VSF’s mission is “healthy animals, healthy people, healthy environment”. We work in remote areas in Malawi where agriculture and livestock are the most important sources of food and income. If the animals are healthy, then this helps the people as well.
VSF-NL supports remote communities in Malawi. We support farmers and we train animal health workers. Furthermore, we strive to strengthen the position of women within the community. This is why we aim for half of the farmers who are trained to be community animal health workers, to be women.
At VSF, our main focus is farm animals such as cows, goats, pigs and poultry. We also have a yearly “Run4Rabies” campaign, to raise funds for rabies vaccination campaigns in dogs.
Malawi
VSF-NL provides training to motivated farmers to become animal health workers. Together with our local partner, we give lessons in animal husbandry, feeding, health and disease treatments. The animal health workers communicate with government officials in order to monitor animal diseases and set up vaccination programmes. Furthermore, we promote the position of women by actively involving them in our projects. For more information on the project, please visit https://dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl/malawi/
In 2019, we trained 15 animal health workers, who then proceeded to train 1.814 farmers in different aspects of animal husbandry. This helps vulnerable people to keep and sell their own livestock. For instance women, young and elderly people
and those who are affected by hiv/aids. Furthermore, our animal health workers vaccinated, dewormed and/or treated 13.500 animals in 2019.
If you would like to read more about our achievements in 2019, then please have a look at our activities reports under News
The projects’ developments can be followed via our social media. On Instagram, we are @ dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl . On LinkedIn and Facebook, you can find us @Dierenartsen zonder Grenzen Nederland. We will regularly post updates on these platforms. You can also subscribe to our newsletter. It will reach your mailbox 3 times per year.
VSF-NL operates in the North of Malawi, around Rumphi and Mzuzu. Previously a group of 15 animal health workers received training in the Rumphi area, via the Matunkha Centre. In 2018, a new project was started, the Participatory Action for Sustainable Animal Care and Livelihood Improvement Project (PASACLIP). At the end of 2019, another project was launched, namely the Enhanced Community Animal Health Services (ECAHS). Both projects aim to increase the income and food security of smallholders, by improving animal health and veterinary services.
Donations
Thank you for being interested in supporting VSF-NL! You can either make a one- time donation, or become a recurring donor. It is also possible to help us as a volunteer, veterinarian or student. For instance by doing fundraising (which is possible through Facebook and other platforms), or by participating in our activities and campaigns.
The donations will be used to support our projects in Malawi as much as possible. However, some funds are needed for our organisation, to cover employee’s salaries and promotional activities. If you would like to read more about our finances, then please find our most recent financial report under news.
Wij kunnen helaas niet zelf jouw donatiebedrag wijzigen. Wel kunnen we je donatie stopzetten, en dan kan je je opnieuw inschrijven met het gewenste donatiebedrag. Neem hiervoor contact op via coordinator@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl.
VSF-NL has the so-called “ANBI status” with the Dutch tax department. This means that VSF-NL is a “public benefit organisation”, and that donations are tax-deductible. With one-time donations, there is a minimum and a maximum amount in order to be eligible for tax-deduction. However if you become a recurring donor, there is no minimum or maximum. During a period of minimally 5 years, you will be allowed to deduct taxes based on the entire donation. The percentage of tax deduction depends on your tax rate. For more information, please visit the following page: here for more information.
Wat leuk dat je je wilt inzetten om fondsen te werven voor de projecten van Dierenartsen Zonder Grenzen! Neem contact op met onze coördinator via coordinator@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl.
There are several possibilities. Firstly, your practice can join the Vaccinate4Africa campaign. This means that during one week per the year, a sum of 2,50 euros per vaccinated animal is donated to VSF-NL. Secondly, your practice can donate a goat, or even a herd of goats, to a family in Malawi. Thirdly, some practices make monthly or yearly donations to us, via the donation form. Lastly, if your practice has surplus materials or instruments, then we can pass them on to organisations that need them. Please send an email to student@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl , if you would like to donate surplus materials or instruments.
Personal details
In order to change your personal details, please contact us via coordinator@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl .
Please read our privacy statement to find out more on this topic: https://dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl/privacy/
At the bottom of each newsletter, there is a button to unsubscribe.
Volunteering
No, VSF-NL doesn’t send Dutch volunteers or veterinarians abroad. For the implementation of our projects, we work with local people and partner organisations as much as possible. However it is possible to do veterinary volunteer work abroad via other organisations, such as www.dierenstages.nl . Furthermore, on the website of the veterinary student’s department of VSF-NL, you can find a list of foundations that you can volunteer for: https://dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl/stages/.
Yes, you can certainly become a volunteer at VSF-NL! You can help us with promotional activities and fundraising, for instance. If you are interested, then please contact us via coordinator@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl or student@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl.
Organisation
In Nederland heeft Dierenartsen Zonder Grenzen twee coördinators in dienst: Simone Vuijk en Iris Geerts. Simone Vuijk regelt o.a. de dagelijkse gang van zaken en fondsenwerving voor de projecten. Ze houdt zich vooral bezig met de inhoud van onze projecten en de contacten in Malawi, Afrika. Daarnaast overlegt ze met het bestuur en DZG-student. Iris Geerts geeft leiding aan alles wat met communicatie te maken heeft. Denk hierbij aan werkzaamheden zoals interne communicatie en social media beheer.
Sinds 2018 werken we samen met onze nieuwe programma manager in Malawi: Gilbert Banda. Hij heeft veel ervaring in het trainen van diergezondheidswerkers opgedaan bij zijn eerdere werk voor Heifer en andere ngo’s in Malawi. Gemiddeld werkt hij de helft van de tijd voor Dierenartsen Zonder Grenzen en de andere helft voor een sociale onderneming, Ziweto. Gilbert houdt zich bezig met het design en de implementatie van nieuwe projecten, traint diergezondheidswerkers en sluit hen aan bij de bestaande veterinaire infrastructuur, en tot slot monitort en evalueert hij de projecten.
Daarnaast werken we met stagiaires voor fondsenwerving en communicatie.
You can contact us through the contact form on our site.
You can also send an email to coordinator@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl or student@dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl.
Yes, Vétérinaires Sans Frontières-NL is a foundation. We have a board that gives direction to the organization, lays out new strategic plans and provides leadership and feedback to the coordinator.
The board members of VSF-NL in 2022 are:
- Sarah Farrand, secretary
- Janke Maat, general board member.
- David Speksnijder, general board member.
You can find our annual on our website under here .
We have various sources of income. Many people donate via our website. Some do birthday fundraising via Facebook. Numerous veterinary practices support us via the Vaccinate 4 Africa campaign. Each fall, people can donate a goat to family in Malawi for 50 euros. This is our Give a Goat fundraiser. We also submit project proposals to private equity funds and family foundations in order to obtain larger donations.
VSF-student
VSF-Student is part of VSF-NL and was formerly known as Stichting DIO. Stichting DIO was founded in July 1987 and was run by students who organised various activities and projects. Nowadays VSF-Student has a board consisting of 6 veterinary medicine students. It also has various commissions, which organise educative lectures, and activities to raise funds for VSF-NL.
VSF-Student has its own Facebook and Instagram pages (@DzG-Student). You can also subscribe to the VSF-Student newsletter: https://dierenartsenzondergrenzen.nl/dzg-student-update/.
Give A Goat
The goats are kept indoors at night in a raised pen, here they are well protected from predators and the poo and pee falls through the bars under the pen. During the day they go outside, they can eat grass in the right season and otherwise they eat such things as corn waste and bushes. Water is readily available in Malawi.
Families who receive a goat receive training on the amounts of food and water that goats need on average each day. Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Netherlands has created some handy overviews for this, in Chichewa, the most common language in northern Malawi.
The goats are sourced in areas close to the project sites for easy transportation and to reduce stress that may come due to long period they are in transit.
The goats also easily adapt to the area they are distributed as they come from the same agro-ecological zone.
The goats are transported by pick up truck or trailer to the families.
On site, animal health officers are present to monitor everything for the benefit of the goats.
Sustainability
It is true that industrialized livestock farming in mainly the western countries has a large ecological footprint. This intensive method of farming contributes to climate change through high methane emissions, deforestation, and the use of fossil fuels.
However, the livestock farming carried out by the small-scale farmers we support in Malawi looks very different. These farmers engage in both livestock farming and crop cultivation and feed their animals with by-products of other crops. The animal manure provides a fertile soil. In this circular agriculture, humans, animals, and the environment are at the center.
Deforestation and erosion in Malawi are indeed major problems. Research has shown that the main causes of deforestation in Malawi are charcoal production, tobacco drying, brick-making, and agriculture.
Goats can contribute to deforestation by eating young trees. However, the small farmers we work with do everything they can to prevent this. See more below.
Overgrazing occurs when too many animals are kept in a too small area. The farmers we support engage in small-scale livestock farming, so overgrazing is not likely to occur. They graze their goats in different areas. The farmers give their goats crop residues such as corn and peanuts. In addition, they plant leguminous trees, which serve as nitrogen fixers and excellent roughage for goats. The goat manure improves soil quality, allowing crops to grow better and rainwater to be retained longer.
In all our projects, we provide information on sustainable use of natural resources: we call it climate-smart agriculture.
In western countries, too much meat is indeed consumed. Large-scale, intensive, and industrialized livestock farming leads to too much CO2 emissions and contributes to climate change. VSF-Netherlands supports small-scale farmers and provides them with training in climate-smart agriculture. Various studies have shown that animal proteins are important for many families in the global south to meet their nutritional needs. About 35% of Malawian children are deficient in one or more nutrients. Animal proteins are a sustainable and effective way to address this.
Also, take a look at this infographic from the Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems.
For many African families, a goat is an important animal. The animals provide milk for drinking and manure to fertilize agricultural land. Goats can give birth to lambs annually, which can provide nutrition in their place. The sale of goats provides funds for education, medical care, and other basic needs. Additionally, goats can be used as a savings account. When suddenly and unexpected costs occur, a goat can be sold.
About 80% of the population in Malawi depends on small-scale agriculture to provide food and income. We distribute goats and provide training in how to care for them to support families in Malawi!
Did you know that many families in Malawi do not drink goat's milk? This is culturally determined. Goat meat is usually only eaten on special occasions in rural areas. In Malawi, the sale of live goats is an important source of income and resilience. One of our farmers put it this way: "These goats are our living bank."
Take a look here to discover what goats mean to small livestock farmers in Malawi.
Would you like to learn more about the various roles that goats play in Malawi, or do you have another question? Check out one of the articles below or contact us!
References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092144882030050X?via%3Dihub
Other
We are member of the Vétérinaires Sans Frontières International network. This network consists of thirteen different non-profit organizations in Europe, Canada and Australia. Together we work towards improving livelihoods of small-scale farmers globally, and strengthening local initiatives for animal health and animal welfare.
Within this network we exchange knowledge and combine resources in order to achieve the biggest impact possible. Would you like to know more about VSF-International? Please have a look on their website: http://vsf-international.org/
How does the One Health principle work? VSF-NL is an advocate of the One Health principle. One Health means that the health of people, animals and the planet are firmly linked to each other. This is why we believe that optimalisation of the health and welfare of animals, should always be seen in relation to people and the planet. Please find more information on the One Health principle in our policy brief: One Health policy brief.