Volunteers perform emergency surgery in Botswana.
VN Times article which highlights how you can use your veterinary nursing qualifications and experience abroad with WVS (October 2006)
BACKGROUND
The registered UK charity, based in Hampshire, was set up in 2003 to provide veterinary assistance to animal welfare organisations around the world. This is achieved through the provision of volunteers, medicines, equipment and advice.
Projects run by the charity also play an important humanitarian role. For example, educating owners of working animals about correct management practices ensures the continued health and productivity of the animal and therefore provides the means for self-sufficiency. Similarly, the prevalence of zoonotic diseases, such as rabies and leishmaniasis, can be reduced by controling feral dog populations.
GROWTH
In just three years, WVS has gone from helping five associated charities to more than 75. The main emphasis is on providing sustainable input in order to make a long-term difference to both the animals and the people who depend on them.
Charities can register for assistance on the WVS website; the decision is then made as to whether assistance can be provided. This will depend on the logistics of sending teams or medical aid, the organisation and set up of the associated charity and the financial input required from WVS. Usually an initial team of more experienced volunteers is sent out to assess the extent of the problem, the facilities available and the type of assistance required.
Unfortunately, WVS do not yet have the funds to provide assistance to all our charities, but our aim is to be able to facilitate a sustainable input to all of them as we continue to expand.
WVS TEAMS
Volunteers can participate in projects all around the world and WVS is unique in working with all animal species from feral cats to confiscated endangered wildlife. Teams vary in size and experience and this reflects the variety of projects undertaken. As such, a typical WVS trip does not exist. So far this year teams have travelled to Botswana, Greece, Gambia, Romania, Sri Lanka, Ibiza, Venezula, Portugal and Spain.
Participating on a WVS trip is hard, challenging work but the experience, both personally and professionally, is invaluable, and volunteers frequently return with renewed enthusiasm for their work. Teams work closely together, often in intense situations, forming friendships that continue beyond the duration of the trip.
FUNDING
Where possible, WVS provide funding towards flights, while food and accomodation is usually provided by the host charity. However, many volunteers fund their own travel, which ensures a greater percentage of the money allocated to a trip goes towards the necessary drugs and equipment.
The charity receives some generous support from other sources, particularly their ongoing collaboration with Bayer, that provides WVS with all its short-dated stock, which is then distributed to various projects. However, help is always needed, especially as the number of associated charities requiring assistance increases. WVS currently receive no help from funding bodies; the majority of funding comes from the charity’s members who pay a subscription of £30 a year or £2.75 a month.
ROLE OF VNS
Veterinary nurses play a vital role although not necessarily in the ways you might expect. Whatever a volunteer’s role in a WVS project they are all equally valued as Luke Gamble, chief executive and founder of WVS says. “Our VN members are the key. Their clinical skills are, of course, fundamental, but their nursing and animal handling abilities are invaluable on teams. Even members who are unable to participate on trips play a vital role in spreading the word of WVS and helping to raise much-needeed funds.”
Members are welcomed from all over the world regardless of speciality or experience. The only requirements are an enthusiastic, open-minded approach, a professional, hard working attitude, an understanding of WVS’s aims and ethics and a sense of fun.
VOLUNTEERING
Lauren Williams qualified as a VN in 2001 and has been part of two WVS teams to date. Her first trip, in 2004, was with the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT)to treat working equines and to train GHDT staff. After fruitless attempts to fulfill her ambition of working on overseas projects, Lauren finally stumbled across WVS while working as a locum.
“In a last ditch attempt I typed something like ‘overseas vet nurse volunteer work’into a search engine, and up popped WVS. I looked at the site and realised this was it – the thing I’d been looking for. So I joined, then a few days later, it happened. I checked my emails and there was a message from this chap Luke Gamble, requesting more people for the GHDT trip. I replied, thinking it was a little optimistic that they’d want me, but in for a penny…”
“Next thing I knew, I’d received a reply saying I was more than welcome to join the team and within a couple of weeks I was on a plane with a bunch of strangers flying to the Gambia – it was amazing!”
“We visited villages, met with chiefs, slept on the edge of the River Gambia and woke up to monkeys chattering every morning. Most of all, there I was working with this spectacular team, educating enthusiastic owners on the care of their working horses and donkeys. One evening was spent on a boat trip watching hippos and chimps on an island sanctuary – I could go on and on, but it doesn’t get much better that that!”
CAT TRAPPING
Lauren’s second trip with WVS was a completely different experience. In November 2005, she visited Portugal to trap cats as part of a feral neutering project run by the Kismet Account.
“Trapping is very demanding, frustrating and rewarding. Hours can be erratic, depending on the colonies. Some are more likely to be out at night, others in the morning and others during the day. Patience is a virtue – sometimes it can take hours to catch one cat.”
“It’s amazing to see how the cats react to their feeders, the select few that feed them on a daily basis. They recognise the vehicle the feeders arrive in and will allow cuddles and kisses while being completely distrusting of strangers. In turn, the feeders truly love their little cats, showing pure delight at their return and being incredibly thankful to us for having neutered them. It’s a pleasure to behold.
It was fabulous to be involved in this project. It would be nice to try out a more conventional VN role but, given a choice of one or the other, I think I would have to choose the trapping. If you’re discouraged because you’ve only considered the nursing side, then you should look into trapping. It’s usually very different from your everyday work life and great fun”.
COPING
“There’s always the worry that you’ll see thing you don’t think you’ll cope with, and I have seen some pretty nasty things, but you can get that in general practice; horrendous RTAs, cruelty cases, the list goes on. The thing is, you do cope, and you’re there actually doing something to benefit the animals, not standing on the sidelines saying “oh, that’s terrible, poor thing” then having to walk away because it’s not in your jurisdiction to help.”
“Fortunately, locum work gives me the freedom to go on these trips, and I’m hoping to fit at least one in a year. I’ve also found useful contacts through the charity. It might sound corny but WVS really has helped me to achieve my dream!”
