Grants for colleagues volunteering overseas to help animals in need

COLLEAGUES wanting to take part in a life-changing mission doing charitable veterinary work overseas can now apply for sponsorship from VetPartners.

A scheme previously only available to new graduate vets in the UK has been extended to experienced vets and RVNs across VetPartners’ practices in the UK and Europe.

VetPartners is providing more than £100,000 for the initiative to enable 76 team members from across the group to undertake clinical work with approved overseas animal charities.

The funding will be made up of individual grants of £1,500, and vets and RVNs will also receive up to one week of paid time off to enable them to take part in overseas volunteer work. Up to 56 new graduate vets will have the opportunity to volunteer with the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) to help their incredible work while improving their clinical skills, and 20 experienced vets and RVNs will have the opportunity to volunteer with WVS or other approved charities.

Combining compassion with adventure

The opportunity will enable team members to combine compassion and care with adventure, and make a real difference to animal welfare worldwide.

Funding from VetPartners will contribute to travel expenses, vaccinations, accommodation and any fees or donations the charity requires for facilitating the experience.

The window for applications opens on May 6th and closes on May 24th.

Anyone wishing to apply for sponsorship can access a document on MyVetPartners outlining all the terms and conditions, and how to apply here:  https://www.myvetpartners.co.uk/terms-and-conditions

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “We wanted to support colleagues to have a fantastic experience while improving their skills in a different environment. It will give people a chance to use their clinical skills to give back to charities which are doing great work.

“If you’re working in a veterinary practice in Europe, you have support from team members around you and great facilities and equipment compared to the more challenging conditions working for a charity overseas. Working in these more challenging environments while they are volunteering will help build resilience, as our team members are unlikely to have experienced anything like this before.

“Charities like the World Veterinary Service that are working ethically to help animals that may or may not have ever had veterinary care, and are doing a great job so we are delighted to support them.”

VetPartners has previously funded trips for new graduate vets to sharpen their neutering skills in Thailand through the World Veterinary Service, and now wants to support more team members to participate in charitable work overseas.

In 2023, new graduate vets Elsbeth Carter, in the main picture above, and Matthew Edwards, who work at Acorn Veterinary Centre, part of Willows Veterinary Group in the Wirral, boosted their clinical experience by taking part in an Animal Birth Control surgical training course in Thailand.

The 12-day trip was organised by the World Veterinary Service, a charity dedicated to raising the global standard of animal care by training young veterinary professionals.

Matthew, right, said: “Although we had both been in clinical practice for a year before our trip, we

thought the trip would be an excellent way to gain further surgical experience and we could then share what we learned with our colleagues back in the UK.

“We’re both so grateful to have had the opportunity to do some work experience in Thailand. It was a really insightful trip and has definitely allowed us to develop our surgical skills and confidence.”

Quantock Vets clinical director Louise Ash, left, is among the vets from VetPartners who have volunteered to do clinical work with Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.

“My time volunteering with the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust was quite possibly one of the best things I have done with my veterinary degree,” said Louise.

“Helping animals in need is exactly why we wanted to be vets in the first place. They don’t have a lot out there in The Gambia but volunteers can do a lot with very little, just by using our basic veterinary and nursing skills.”

Volunteering must be undertaken for a charity that provides an opportunity for colleagues to exercise veterinary care and develop or improve their clinical skills.

Worldwide Veterinary Service Volunteering, Worldwide Veterinary Service Training and Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust are among the volunteering schemes recommended by VetPartners.

Applications for grants will be considered by a five-person VetPartners panel made up of Head of ESG Hannah James, Head of Talent Rob Williams, Clinical Research Manager Jenny Stavisky, Practice Standards Manager Victoria Fyfe and Business Development Director Jo Forsyth.

Article by Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director.

Email amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk