Dierenartsen Zonder Grenzen

Project's pathway

Evaluate of the needs and problems

Before a project is started or even drafted, we evaluate the needs and specific problems of a region, its population and its livestock. It is unthinkable to always apply the same development model to different projects. Each project is a tailor-made job.


Cooperate with local partners

VSF Belgium always chooses a participatory approach, where the local population cooperates for its own future. Wherever possible we cooperate with a local organization which is already active in the area. We unite our people, knowledge and resources and plan strategies and activities together. As soon as everything is clearly on track after a certain number of years, the local partner takes the project over and VSF Belgium can withdraw itself from the area.


Train local livestock breeders as animal health workers

VSF Belgium provides training in veterinary techniques to local livestock breeders. These men or women are chosen by the communities. During a training of some weeks they learn simple tips and methods to recognize sicknesses and to treat them. These veterinary technicians thus trained, receive a basic medical kit and are given responsibility for the health of the animals in their community. Together, they form a veterinary network which hardly existed before. They also play an important role in mass vaccination campaigns.


Establish a payment system guaranteeing sustainability

Our projects establish a payment system from the beginning. The local animal health workers get compensation for their achievement from the livestock owner. They pay them cash or, if necessary, with local crops vegetables or animal products. In this way, a small-scale economic structure arises, which can outlive the VSF project.


Train local coordinators

Beside the basic education of animal health worker, we develop a permanent framework of coordinators. These people support the animal health workers. The candidate coordinators are selected on the basis of strict criteria. They have been well trained and have strong experience and background. Their training lasts some months to include planning and accountancy beside medical knowledge and filing techniques. The coordinators take over the function of the VSF-team when it leaves the area.


Increase the livestock and milk trade

For many livestock breeders, milk is not only a food source; it is also a regular source of income. Milk processing brings many possibilities. Women and small scale farmers receive training in milk processing techniques, such as cheese production and also in the marketing of products. Local markets play an important role. VSF Belgium helps to improve trade conditions, so that livestock breeders can obtain a fair price. In large areas, more markets are organized, to bring the buyers and sellers closer together.


Support livestock food banks, literacy and construction of water points

VSF Belgium also focuses on the sensitizing of the herders and their families. Farmers learn how to look after improved livestock and how to feed them during different production phases. We cooperate with them for the construction and the management of forage banks, which must provide feed for the lean season. Some projects also provide literacy courses. Many farmers live in remote areas and have little or no contact with formal literacy and education programs. This forestalls their access to technical information because they must be able to read and write to manage crop and feed banks or livestock-farming records. Several projects also provide literacy sessions. Thanks to literacy classes, the farmers can better organize themselves into cooperatives and are better able to sell their products. Where necessary, VSF Belgium helps to identify and develop water points.