The ''One Health'' concept has gained global recognition in recent years, highlighting the vital connection between human health, animal health, and the environment. With approximately 75% of emerging human health threats originating from animals (zoonotic diseases), it's clear that human well-being cannot be addressed in isolation.
This holistic perspective is particularly relevant in the Developing World, where livestock play a central role in rural livelihoods. Healthy animals not only mean increased income for farmers but also help reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission, protecting the health of entire families.
In response, major international NGOs are beginning to recognize the importance of protecting livestock during humanitarian crises. Preserving these essential resources helps communities recover more quickly once the immediate crisis has passed.
As part of this growing movement, Vets Without Borders Ireland is proud be part of VSF International, a global network of 13 organizations working across more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. VSF supports small-scale livestock farmers by improving animal health and productivity.
As part of the VSF International Network, Vets Without Borders Ireland can increase its impact through collaboration, shared knowledge, and joint animal health initiatives with like-minded partners around the world.
Over €1 Million Donated Since 1999
Since our founding in 1999, Vets Without Borders Ireland has raised and donated over €1 million to supporting thousands of people through impactful veterinary and animal health projects in countries including Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Romania, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, and Nepal—and the positive effects are still felt today.
To everyone who has cycled, hiked, played golf, or generously donated: thank you. Your support has made a real difference and is an incredible achievement for our small but dedicated community.
Past Project: Livestock Health in Karamoja, Uganda
In partnership with VSF Belgium (2017–2022) Through our collaboration with VSF Belgium and the VSF International network, Vets Without Borders Ireland co-funded a major livestock health initiative in the Karamoja region of north-east Uganda. Over five years, we contributed €100,000 to support improved animal health services for agro-pastoralist communities.
Why Karamoja?
Karamoja is one of Uganda’s poorest regions, long affected by chronic conflict. Since 2006, peace has brought new opportunities for development. However, livestock farmers still face challenges such as low productivity and high disease rates in cattle and goats.
Our Impact
1. Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs): With few veterinary services available, CAHWs were trained to provide basic veterinary care and animal husbandry advice.
Over 24,000 farmers reached in the first year
9 CAHW associations formed, each with a small outlet for veterinary supplies
Ongoing training in business skills, record-keeping, and veterinary care
Cold chain support (e.g. solar-powered fridges for vaccines) and motorbikes to reach remote communities
2. Vaccination Campaigns:
Linking CAHWs to farmer groups improved access to vaccinations and deworming services.
Over 10,000 goats vaccinated against Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) after an outbreak
Over 25,000 cattle vaccinated against Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in collaboration with local authorities
CAHWs also supported by the government in large-scale disease prevention campaigns
This project helped lay the groundwork for sustainable veterinary services in a remote and underserved region, improving both animal health and farmer livelihoods.
Past Project: Brucellosis Surveillance in Malawi
In recent years, Vets Without Borders Ireland has partnered with the Shire Highlands Milk Producing Association (SHMPA) in Southern Malawi to investigate brucellosis—a zoonotic disease (transmissible from animals to humans) often overlooked in both cattle and people in the region, but which has a widespread impact on public health.
Why Brucellosis? Brucellosis can significantly impact both animal health and human wellbeing. In sub-Saharan Africa, it's often misdiagnosed or underreported in humans, while poor reproductive performance in cattle is rarely investigated.
Findings Our initial surveillance revealed a 22% prevalence of Brucella spp. in dairy cows sampled. Alarmingly, among 400+ farmers surveyed, none had heard of brucellosis, its symptoms, or how it spreads. Even more concerning, 35% of farmers reported consuming raw milk, dramatically increasing the risk of transmission to humans.
Given that SHMPA supplies 95% of the milk consumed in Blantyre—a city of over one million people—understanding and controlling this disease is vital for public health.
Project Interventions
Education We mobilized teams comprising SHMPA project officers, veterinary staff, and local farmers to raise awareness about brucellosis. These teams also engaged local health centres to strengthen disease reporting between animal and human health services.
Vaccination Due to limited resources, culling infected animals isn’t feasible. Instead, a vaccination strategy was developed. This began with widespread screening of the SHMPA herd to identify infection status before rolling out the vaccine to unaffected animals.
Monitoring The project continues with regular monitoring and blood sampling to track infection rates and deliver vaccine boosters. Training seminars focus on:
Safe animal introductions to herds
Immunization practices
Recognizing brucellosis symptoms
For information about all of our projects click here to view our newletters
