VETAWS: From Repeated Field Experiences to a Global Commitment

This article is part of our ongoing YouthWrites series.

The birth of VETAWS

As a child, I often told myself that one day I would do something meaningful for animals. As a teenager, and later as a veterinary student, I travelled twice to Tanzania as a volunteer, working in support of animal welfare.

At the age of 17, I made my first trip to what many call “Wild Africa”. With no scientific background beyond the biology classes I had taken at school, I shared my knowledge of biology and zoology with the staff of a safari camp over five weeks, with the aim of raising awareness about environmental protection.

Working as a vet in Tahiti.

Returning to help as a veterinary student

I returned to Africa several years later, this time as a fourth-year veterinary student. I applied my growing knowledge to field veterinary projects, working to improve animal welfare while also raising awareness among local communities.

During my studies, the creation of the VetHopes project (Veterinary Education for Treatment of HOmless PEts by Students), in collaboration with Professor Forterre and other students at the University of Bern in Switzerland became an integral part of my daily life (See my earlier article on Global Geneva).

After obtaining my veterinary degree, I took part in various volunteer initiatives, notably with the ARPAP association in French Polynesia.

Yet despite all these experiences, one feeling kept coming back: the frustration of time limitations. Each project demanded effort, resources, and careful thought, but often remained temporary - except for VetHopes, which continues today at the University of Bern.

I had also come to understand just how unequal access to veterinary care is around the world. A sense of helplessness in the face of both animal and human suffering had become a quiet presence in my daily life.

Two years ago I returned to Switzerland to complete a 15-month rotating internship at the Medivet veterinary clinic in Lausanne, with the goal of strengthening my skills in small animal medicine. After those two intense years of learning, I feel more driven than ever to put my knowledge to work for animal welfare.

It is from this reality that VETAWS was born - an association I founded in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, with a simple idea: to make veterinary care accessible to a wider population, in order to improve both animal welfare and human well-being.

Wilfred, a local veterinarian

A first pilot project in Tanzania

Building on past experience, and with a clear sense of where the need is greatest, the first VETAWS mission is planned for late November in southern Tanzania.

This mission will be carried out in close collaboration with a local veterinarian, Wilfred, a graduate of the Sokoine University of Agriculture in 2018. Through our WhatsApp exchanges, I came to understand that he works in a region where access to veterinary care remains extremely limited. His clinic is one of the very few available structures. This is not always enough to meet the needs of the surrounding rural communities.

A street dog client.

Many people in the area simply cannot afford veterinary care when they need it. Wilfred knows this reality intimately, and it is within this context that VETAWS hopes to provide meaningful support.

We will work alongside him throughout part of the mission, not only to help bridge communication with local communities, but also to contribute to his ongoing professional development, with the aim of creating a more lasting impact beyond the project itself.

One Health

This work sits within a broader framework: One Health.

Improving animal health also means improving human well-being. This includes, for example, reducing the spread of zoonotic diseases - those transmitted from animals to humans. Healthier livestock, too, leads to better food production, which in turn supports better nutrition for local populations.

Through this deep connection between animal and human health, VETAWS projects carry a strong humanitarian dimension as well.

Building for the long term

One of VETAWS’s core goals is to go beyond short-term interventions. After each mission, we aim to maintain contact with local communities, particularly through digital tools, so that we can offer remote support wherever possible.

Every project will be carefully documented, with reports, photographs, and records of the treatments carried out. This ensures transparency, helps raise awareness, and supports the development of future initiatives.

The Tanzania pilot is only a first step. In the longer term, our ambition is to develop further missions in different countries and always with the same approach: working with local partners, adapting to the realities on the ground, and striving for sustainable impact.

Because beyond veterinary care, this work is ultimately about building connections between humans, animals, and the world we share.

Charlène Thiry is currently based in the Lake Geneva region.

Editor’s note: Charlène Thiry has written for Global Geneva since 2016. Her earlier articles can be found at global-geneva.com/author/charlenethiry/.