Our expertise
One Health
The One Health approach brings human and veterinary health services and natural resources management closer together to produce better health outcomes and financial savings. In its programmes, VSF-Suisse aims to implement activities with a view to One Health wherever possible.
Value chains
An important part of this work are value chains for animal products such as milk, meat or eggs. These generate income for producers and traders and are designed to improve animal health and produce better quality.
Animal health
As our main activity, we strengthen the veterinary services in the countries in which we are active. We support all “five pillars” of veterinary work: herd management and health; prevention; disease surveillance and response; hygiene and food safety/veterinary public health and legislation and regulatory frameworks.
Resilience
Our mission is to improve the resilience of vulnerable populations by promoting the health and productivity of their livestock within a sustainable environment.
Natural resource management
Without sustainable natural resource management, neither humans nor animals can prosper and be healthy. We incorporate natural resource management into all our activities to address issues such as dry season grazing practices.
Nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions
One of the main commitments of VSF-Suisse is the fight against hunger and malnutrition. We seek an approach which focuses not only on the fact that enough food is available, but rather that enough nutritious and safe food is available. Animal sourced foods are nutritionally rich foods. When prepared in a safe and hygienic manner they are, together with dietary diversity, crucial in improving the nutritional status of communities.
Disaster Risk Reduction
To ensure that people can better cope with disasters, they not only need to be resilient, but every effort needs to be made to mitigate the risks and outcomes of disasters as far as possible. This includes nutritional and financial assistance to the most vulnerable among those affected.
LEGS
LEGS, short for “Livestock emergency guidelines and standards” is an independent initiative that aims to improve the quality and livelihoods impact of livestock-related projects in humanitarian situations. VSF adheres to these guidelines and applies them in all emergency projects.
