2015 Summer Interns: Kenya.
Maggie, Mira, and Sarifa look forward to supporting dairy farmers in Kenya this summer!
This summer, six veterinary students will be interns with Vets without Borders in Uganda and Kenya. Meet the three interns who will be working on with dairy farmers in Mukurweini, Kenya. VWB helps improve dairy cow health and nutrition for small holder farmers that sell milk to the local diary. Our volunteers help train village members, particularly women, to care for their cows, which are an integral source of income for many families in the community.
Maggie Grover is a second year student in the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. She grew up in Calgary and after high school, spent two years working as a ski instructor and then received her B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in Animal Biology. Maggie has wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as she can remember, and through her family, schooling, and travels, she has been inspired by many international development projects. Maggie is really excited for this chance to combine and share her knowledge and enthusiasm for food animal production and public health while learning a lot herself. She first traveled to Kenya three summers ago for an ecology field course and is looking forward to returning this summer.
Mira Kelada-Antoun is a third year veterinary student at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. She grew up in Metchosin, Vancouver Island on a small farm that raises sheep, meat birds, and pigs, as well as crops. Last year, Mira was lucky enough to conduct a small needs assessment of Maasai livestock health and productivity in Kenya. This project really sparked Mira's interest in directing her veterinary career towards global public health and using her veterinary skills to further human health by improving the health of livestock. Mira is really excited to be working with Vets without Borders as an intern on this dairy project. Mira's mother and grandmother grew up in Kenya, so she has a special fondness for the country!
Sarifa Lakhdhir is in her first year of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary. Sarifa's love of animals started at a very young age, as her favorite movie growing up was The Lion King. During the first two years of her undergrad program, Sarifa travelled to Costa Rica and Namibia with ucalgarycares. Through these cross-cultural experiences, she had an opportunity to learn about international development on a local and global scale. In addition, she has volunteered at the Calgary Zoo and at a small animal clinic in Calgary. Sarifa has enjoyed working with cattle in her first year of the veterinary medicine program, and she is looking forward to spending ten weeks in Kenya working to build on VWB-Canada's mission of helping to improve the lives of Kenyans, their communities, and their animals
(Adapted from Vets without Borders Newsletter)
