Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse

What Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse does

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse (VSF-Suisse) is a Swiss humanitarian non-profit association (Verein) founded in 1988 by veterinary medicine students at the University of Bern. The organization delivers animal health, human health, and environmental management services to pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in the Sahel and Horn of Africa, operating across 10 countries through five staffed country offices (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, South Sudan, Togo) and a 10-person headquarters in Bern. Its total operational footprint is approximately 160 personnel, of whom roughly 150 are local field staff.

The organization's core offering is the One Health approach, implemented through integrated One Health Units (OHUs) that combine veterinary care, human health services, and environmental management. Service delivery is executed via community-based animal health workers trained by VSF-Suisse, mobile veterinary clinics, vaccination campaigns, restocking of livestock in crisis situations, pasture management, and value-chain development for livestock products. In 2024, VSF-Suisse ran 53 projects that treated approximately 7.4 million animals and reached 528,917 livestock keepers, 1,005,831 people in crisis situations, and 5,754 persons trained. The technology base is conventional — no proprietary AI/ML, public APIs, or patents — relying instead on a Swiss-hosted Data Protection Management System (DSMS) certified to Swiss FADP and selected ISO/IEC 27001:2022 controls.

VSF-Suisse is funded entirely through donations, membership fees, legacies/bequests, and institutional grants from DEZA (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), the EU, USAID, DANIDA, GIZ, foundations (Biovision, Atdta, Else von Sick, Drittes Millennium), and Swiss cantons and municipalities. Pricing is not applicable as beneficiaries are not charged; instead, services are free at point of delivery. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization is ZEWO-certified for transparent handling of donations, a signatory to responsible communication and locally led action manifestos, and joined the CHS Alliance in March 2026 to align with global humanitarian accountability standards.

Name

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse

Legal name

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse

Website

https://vsf-suisse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse is a Swiss humanitarian NGO, founded in 1988, that delivers One Health veterinary, human health, and environmental services to pastoralist communities across the Sahel and Horn of Africa through 5 country offices and 160 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Veterinary Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Public Health & One Health Programs (HLAMAJAA), Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC), Routine On-Farm Veterinary Services (Exams, Treatment, Prescribing) (AFACADAB)

Keywords

• Animal health services
• One health programs
• Humanitarian veterinary services
• Livestock development
• Pastoralist community support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual donations: Donations from private individuals, including one-time and recurring donations via online platforms and bank transfers
2. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from supporters who join as members of the organization
3. Institutional funding: Grants and project funding from government development agencies (DEZA, EU, USAID), foundations, and international organizations
4. Legacies and bequests: Inheritance gifts and testamentary donations from supporters

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse delivers animal health services, One Health integration, and humanitarian development programs for pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in the Sahel and Horn of Africa. Its core offering combines veterinary care, human health services, and environmental management delivered through field offices, community-based animal health workers, vaccination campaigns, and mobile clinics. The organization runs a portfolio of programs (HEAL, BOLDER, THRIVE, DRIC, CLAP, JOIN, INNOPLA, RAISE) funded by institutional donors and private supporters.

Product overview

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse (VSF-Suisse) is a Swiss humanitarian NGO founded in 1988 by veterinary medicine students at the University of Bern. Rather than offering commercial products, VSF-Suisse operates a portfolio of development programs focused on animal health and One Health approaches for pastoralist communities in the Sahel and Horn of Africa. The core offering consists of flagship projects like HEAL (One Health Units for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods) that integrate veterinary care, human health services, and environmental management. Additional programs address livestock resilience (THRIVE, BOLDER, DRIC), income generation (JOIN), feed innovation from invasive plants (INNOPLA), and peasant rights (RAISE). The organization also operates community veterinary posts and conducts vaccination campaigns, complemented by fundraising programs like 'Impfen für Afrika' that engage Swiss veterinary practices. VSF-Suisse maintains operations through 150 local staff across five country offices in Africa and 10 staff at its Bern headquarters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HEAL — One Health Units for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods A flagship One Health project that establishes integrated One Health Units (OHUs) in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist areas of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya, providing combined veterinary, human health, and environmental services to vulnerable communities. Mobilized CHF 9.83 million total program volume through CHF 4.85 million DEZA investment.
• RADCON Phase II A project focused on controlling stray dog populations and rabies in UNMISS camps in South Sudan.
• DRIC — Drought Resilience in Isiolo County A project strengthening resilience to droughts through sustainable livelihoods in Isiolo County, Kenya, with a budget of 4,500,000 EUR.
• BOLDER A project strengthening livelihoods and resilience in three Ethiopian districts, targeting climate adaptation and women's empowerment with funding from DANIDA/ADRA Denmark.
• JOIN — Jobs and Income A project creating employment and income opportunities for youth and women in Western Kenya through native chicken farming and value chain development.
• CLAP — Climate Adaptation and Livelihoods Protection A project strengthening livelihoods in the face of climate extremes, conflicts, and displacement in Kenya and Ethiopia.
• INNOPLA — Innovation Platform for Feed A project developing feed from invasive Prosopis juliflora plants to improve food and feed security while managing invasive species in Kenya's Isiolo County.
• RAISE — Rights-based and Agroecological Initiatives for Sustainability and Equity A global program implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants, focusing on pastoralists' land rights and movement corridors in the Sahel (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso) and Kenya.
• THRIVE A project improving household resilience through economic development in South Sudan, funded at 4,789,900 CHF, supporting livelihood diversification for pastoralist, agro-pastoralist, and fishing communities.
• Impfen für Afrika (Vaccinate for Africa) A fundraising program enabling Swiss veterinary practices to participate by vaccinating pets, with proceeds supporting VSF-Suisse's animal health programs in Africa.
• Veterinary Service Delivery Core services including establishment of basic veterinary care through training local animal health workers, vaccination campaigns, farmer consultation on breeding/hygiene/disease prevention, and distribution of healthy animals to vulnerable populations during crises.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,395,961 animals treated in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• VSF InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of Vétérinaires Sans Frontières organizations working together on development and humanitarian initiatives
• Alliance SufoseccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of Swiss organizations working on food security and sustainable agriculture
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in HEAL consortium, providing expertise in animal health, natural resource management, and impact assessment
• Amref Health AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in HEAL project, contributing human health expertise and community health networks
• Comitato Collaborazione Medica (CCM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in HEAL project, providing human health expertise
• FAOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Food and Agriculture Organization, partner on food security and livestock projects
• World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational animal health body, collaborated on veterinary standards and disease control
• CHS AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined in 2026, network for humanitarian quality and accountability standards

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Large humanitarian INGO operating across the Sahel and Horn of Africa with livestock, food security, and One Health-adjacent programming. Competes for similar institutional donor budgets at a much larger scale.
• Concern Worldwide: Ireland-based humanitarian INGO with livestock, livelihoods, and One Health-related programming in fragile contexts, including the Sahel and Horn of Africa. Operates a comparable project funding model with EU, Irish Aid, and other institutional donors.
• Heifer International: Larger, US-headquartered nonprofit focused on livestock asset transfer, training, and value chain development for smallholder farmers globally. Overlaps with VSF-Suisse on livestock-based livelihoods but at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• Action Against Hunger: Global humanitarian organization with significant livestock, food security, and nutrition programming across Sahel and East Africa. Competes for overlapping institutional funding pools and operates in VSF-Suisse's priority geographies.

Direct peers

• SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad): UK charity delivering veterinary care and animal welfare education in low-income communities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Comparable operating model delivering veterinary services to working animal owners in resource-poor settings.
• Vétérinaires Sans Frontières France: French sister organization of the VSF network, also deploying veterinary services and One Health approaches in West Africa and other fragile contexts. Directly comparable in program design, beneficiary profile, and funding mix.
• Vétérinaires Sans Frontières International: Umbrella network of national VSF organizations (France, Belgium, Germany, Suisse, etc.) coordinating on global veterinary humanitarian programs. VSF-Suisse is a member and the closest analog in mission and operational model.
• Tierärzte ohne Grenzen (VSF Germany): German member of the VSF network providing veterinary aid and animal health programs in East Africa and conflict zones. Sister organization with nearly identical operational model and donor ecosystem.
• Brooke: UK-headquartered animal welfare INGO working with working equines and livestock owners in low-income countries, including parts of Africa and Asia. Highly comparable beneficiary focus and community-based service delivery model.

Emerging players

• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI): CGIAR research institute focused on livestock in developing countries and a named HEAL consortium partner of VSF-Suisse. Overlaps in research-to-practice livestock health programming and shares geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vsfsuisse
• Instagraminstagram.com/vsfsuisse

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse