Veterinarians Without Borders has an open Livestock Specialist volunteer position with our partner organization, CARE International, in Laos
Download Volunteer Placement Description PDFVolunteer Placement Details
Position Title: Livestock Specialist
Country: Laos
Location: Phongsaly Province, Laos
Partner Organization: CARE
Duration: 3 months (flexible)
Start Date: As soon as possible
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 agriculture or veterinary medicine 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 Livestock Advisor based in the Phongsaly Province of Laos, you will support CARE Laos to improve the livestock health and income of the ethnic indigenous women to increase their income.
As part of your role, you will:
- Train and share best practices in livestock health, disease prevention and vaccinations (particularly for large animals) for project staff, government partners, and farmers
- Collaborate with staff and community members to improve income generating activities
- Support staff to guide farmers on improved value chains, marketing and market access
- Assist in developing a climate change strategy in line with livestock production
- Promote gender equality by tailoring trainings and solutions through a gender equality lens. Training in gender equality is provided.
- Ensure an environmental and sustainability climate action lens is applied throughout the placement by implementing green solutions
- 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
Required Experience and Skills
- Degree and/or relevant experience in agriculture or veterinary medicine or a related field
- Experience working with livestock (large animals) and livelihood security
- Experience in value chain in agriculture production considered an asset
- 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
- Travel to remote communities by flight, train, or car
- Travel in remote areas may be on gravel/bumpy roads
- Virtual meetings and in-person meetings in Vientiane
Our Commitment
Veterinarians Without Borders/Vétérinaires sans Frontière 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.
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.
