This past International Volunteer Day (December 5th, 2024), we hosted a live webinar to celebrate the power of volunteerism and the essential role volunteers play in strengthening communities around the world. Specifically, the webinar showcased the impactful work of our VETS program by highlighting one of our VETS partners, CARE Laos, and the work that CARE is doing to promote gender equality and climate resilience in rural communities. Additionally, the session spotlighted the essential role of VWB's VETS volunteers in supporting CARE’s work by sharing best practices and building staff capacity through trainings and on the ground expertise. Panelists offered inspiring stories of change from the field, demonstrating the positive community impacts driven by these volunteer efforts.
INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY 2024 WEBINAR: December 5th @ 10am-11am EST
>> Watch the Replay <<
MEET THE PANEL:
Anousone Sengmanikham
Gender and Women's Economic Empowerment Advisor, CARE International Laos
Anousone is a passionate advocate for gender equality, climate action, and sustainable development, with extensive experience in research, project management, and policy advocacy. Currently the Gender and Women’s Economic Empowerment (GE WEE) Advisor at CARE International Laos, Anousone leads a €2 million EU-funded project that has doubled the income of coffee producers by transforming women’s livelihoods through sustainable coffee value chains.
Her work integrates gender equality across all project cycles, providing technical leadership and fostering collaboration with stakeholders including government partners and donors. Anousone has led gender training sessions, assessments, and applied gender markers to projects, advancing CARE’s Women Economic Justice strategy in Laos. Anousone holds a Master of Arts in Peace and Justice from the University of San Diego, along with a Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution.
In this webinar, Anousone discussed CARE’s gender initiatives, the role VWB volunteers have played in CARE's projects, and how future volunteers can contribute to driving transformative change in Laos.
Dr. Alina Cota-Merlo
Gender and Livelihood Advisor Volunteer, Veterinarians Without Borders VETS Program
Alina is a veterinarian who recently graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College. Alina has a strong background in implementing One Health concepts and initiatives. She has worked locally in Canada as a large animal veterinarian and has volunteered at the international level with Veterinarians Without Borders. Drawing from her experience working with diverse communities in her clinical practice, Alina is able to merge her veterinary expertise with her special interest in promoting gender equality. She just completed a 4 month volunteer placement with CARE International in Laos as a Gender and Livelihood Advisor, where she delivered trainings on animal health, biosecurity, and gender equality to build the capacity of project participants.
In this webinar, Alina shared her role as a volunteer with CARE Laos, focusing on the gender equality trainings she helped facilitate and the impact she witnessed on communities and individual project participants.
Zainab Baqiri
Climate and Gender Advisor Volunteer, Veterinarians Without Borders VETS Program
Zainab holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Protection and Agricultural Food Production from Hohenheim University, Germany, where her research focused on the economic impacts of climate change on agriculture and livestock revenue. With three years of experience in international development, Zainab specializes in food security, climate change impact and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and gender integration. She has worked extensively to enhance the resilience of women and smallholder farmers to external shocks, including climate change, across Central and Southeast Asia.
Her international experience includes volunteering with AusGhan Aid Inc. in Afghanistan, the Vulnerable People Project (VPP) in Germany, and most recently, CARE Laos through VWB's VETS Program. In these roles, Zainab has contributed to the development of climate-smart strategies and led initiatives aimed at empowering women in vulnerable communities.
In this webinar, Zainab offered her insights into integrating gender-responsive approaches into climate adaptation projects, highlighting key success stories and lessons learned from her work in Laos and beyond.
