Development Ratings

VETAID was set up in 1989 by three postgraduate veterinary students at Edinburgh University. The original aim was to improve animal health and reduce poverty by increasing access to better veterinary services in the developing world. VETAID is part of the Moredun Foundation. The Foundation is a group of commercial organisations and charities working in animal health and welfare, research, and vaccine testing and production.

Two thirds of people in the developing world are small-scale farmers and many are partially or totally dependent on livestock for their survival. It is estimated that 600m of the world’s rural poor rely on livestock for their livelihoods. Animals provide food, non-food products, income, traction, fertiliser and fuel, and can act as beasts of burden. Livestock can also transform subsistence farming into an income generating enterprise. VETAID concentrates on semi-arid areas in East Africa. World Bank research indicates that small farmers are more likely to keep livestock as climatic temperature increases and rainfall decreases (undermining successful crop farming). Pastoralists will especially choose the more heat tolerant species of goats and sheep, or camels. Livestock are affected by scarce feed, diseases, and degraded land and water sources. Herders often have poor access to markets. The countries VETAID works in have either been recovering from conflict, are often hit by severe droughts and flooding, or have been dealing with both at the same time.

There are other UK-based international charities that do some similar work, mainly in Kenya, such as FARM Africa, Brooke Hospital for Animals, and Africa Now (see Development Ratings Report). In 2008, though, Kenya was about 17% of VETAID’s focus. Farm Africa also works in Somaliland on complementary projects