Some volunteers are resolutely dedicated, year after year, by our side, to strengthen our actions. Let us introduce you to three of our fervent volunteers.
Conference on women’s marginalisation in pastoral societies
On 6 June 2018, we organised a session at the European Development Days about the role of women in pastoral societies. Read the full report and watch some pictures here.
Poultry as a stepping-stone to a better future for Malian women
By supporting local poultry farming in Mali, Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium contributes to strengthening the leadership capacities of women.
Why mobile phones are indispensable for livestock keepers
Only 30 kilometres from the Nigerian capital Niamey, you arrive in a very remote area and you get the feeling being in the middle of nowhere: no houses, routes or cars (only a group of giraffes who passes by very gracefully). But, unlike what you may expect, all the bars on the cell phone are visible: optimal reception.
Milk moustaches and healthy animals in Malian refugee camp
‘Smiling faces and milk moustaches, three times a week this scenario is guaranteed in the refugee camp’, explains Hama Boureima Dicko from Vétérinaires Sans Frontièrs Belgium in Burkina Faso. ‘We buy milk from local diaries and afterwards we transport it to the refugee sites. It’s a way of supporting two groups at the same time: the refugees and the local woman who are in charge of the milk production.’
Edward Loure wins Goldman prize for his struggle for traditional Masaai land rights in Tanzania
On Monday, April 18th, Edward Loure received the Goldman Environmental Prize for his longstanding dedication to land rights in Tanzania. Loure, a Maasai herder himself, works for Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT), a local NGO with whom Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium fights for land rights of Maasai pastoralists. Thanks to their pioneering work in northern Tanzania, pastoralists now have legal certainty about their traditional access to land.
Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium is looking for a new Director (m/f)
After 7 years of enthusiastic and committed work within Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium, our General Director, Joep van Mierlo, has decided that it is time for a change in his career. “ I need a new challenge to keep my focus and energy,” says Joep. As from the 1st of June, he will be joining the Center for Development Innovation at the Wageningen University (his Alma Mater), in the Netherlands, where he will develop the livestock branch of the Center.
“Beestig!” in Uganda: behind the scenes
Those of you who visit the Facebookpage of Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium regularly have probably noticed already that a camera crew was working in Karamoja, Uganda. They were shooting scenes for the VTMKzoom-show “Beestig!”. The unique – and often hilarious – sequences will be broadcast by VTMKzoom in November, but here we give you an exclusive look behind the scenes.
Burundi: creating opportunities for the local population
On the Burundian countryside poverty prevails: 7 out of 10 inhabitants are hungry. Children are only eating a poor meal twice a day. Due to the high population density there is a shortage of fertile ground and thus food is scarce. Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium wants to do something to improve this situation. That’s why we started a development program in Burundi in 2014.
It’s all about poo-poo
Building latrines can be a good solution. A latrine is probably even one of the best solutions. But why is the construction of latrines one of those development projects that so often seem to fail? The examples are plenty: toilet constructions that are so nice that they are now being used as the office of a local politician; latrines that are locked, except when the NGO visits them because “it is Josephine’s toilet!”; the community who has built a nice latrine, or so it seems, until you open the door and you see there is not even a hole -they only wanted to please the donor… So, it is not about latrines. It is all about poo-poo.