Our veterinary volunteer, Riina Anniina Röpelinen from Finland, has successfully completed her 8-month volunteering experience in Sinop under the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programme and has now returned to her home country.

With the support of her sending organisation, Allianssi Youth Exchanges (Allianssin kehittämispalvelut), Riina actively contributed to a wide range of activities throughout her volunteering period. From caring for sick and recovering cats to treating stray animals, administering regular antiparasitic treatments, and assisting with veterinary examinations, she played an important role in improving animal welfare. Through the sterilisation surgeries and other surgical interventions she performed at the Gerze Animal Shelter, she positively impacted the lives of many animals.

Riina not only contributed to the health and well-being of animals but also helped strengthen our organisation’s capacity by organising the patient care room, preparing written care guidelines, training new volunteers, and developing treatment protocols. During her volunteering experience, she also had the opportunity to spend a week at Samsun Akademi Animal Hospital, where she observed highly specialised and advanced surgical procedures that are rarely encountered in daily veterinary practice, further enhancing her professional knowledge, clinical perspective, and surgical expertise.

According to Riina, this experience brought significant professional and personal growth. She improved her surgical skills, gained a deeper understanding of different cultures, and learned to become more flexible, courageous, and self-confident while living in a new country. She also shared that the friendships she built and the hospitality she experienced in Türkiye made her feel as if she had found a second home.

We would like to thank Riina for the value she brought to the lives of animals, her dedication, and the positive energy she shared with everyone around her. We wish her every success in her future life and professional career.

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