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.
“In the end, men and women face the same deadlines”
From the first moment I met her, I was impressed by her strong and energetic appearance. I am talking about Lucy Akello, the manager of MADEFO, local partner of VSF Belgium in Moroto district in Karamoja. For International Women’s Day, I had the opportunity to share a long evening talk with her about her own life, and about the role of women in Karimojong society. We were enjoying the cool evening temperature outside, surrounded by mosquitos, eating some succulent water melon while a kerosene lamp lightened up our conversation.
A tribute to John Okiring, Ugandan vet and pioneer of our actions
On the 15th of February this year, in a small village 250 km from Kampala in Uganda, Dr. John Okiring died surrounded by his family after a long and tough disease.
Green energy and livestock farming
The launch of project ‘EVE’ (Energie Verte & Elevage – Green Energy & Livestock) took place on Tuesday 30th September in Nyamagabe district in Southern Province of Rwanda, with the participation of many invited guests, including local and national dignitaries, representatives of VSF Belgium’s partners from local and international NGOs, including IMBARAGA (VSF’s main local partner), and the representative from the Belgian embassy in Kigali.
Our advertisement for the Solidarity Award 2014
Every summer the Flemish newspaper De Standaard organizes its competition for the Solidarity Award. Today, we reveal the advertisement Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium sent in for this annual competition for nonprofit organizations.
June 28: third anniversary of rinderpest eradication
On Saturday June 28, 2014 we celebrate the third anniversary of rinderpest eradication. On June 28, 2011 the international community officially declared the world free from rinderpest. At that moment, there had been no reported outbreaks of this viral animal disease for several years.
“This journey changed us”
Move with Africa is an action meant for the young. Interculturality, world citizenship, north-south relations; these are the themes that the action initiated by Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique takes on, in partnership with ten development cooperation actors, the Belgian ministry of Development Cooperation, and the ministry of Education of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Within the scope of this project, Pauline describes her stay in Rwanda with Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium.