The BIG FIX Uganda operates the ONLY veterinary hospital in Northern Uganda. We provide free services including animal medical care, rabies vaccination clinics, spay and neutering, and community outreach programs. We also run the Comfort Dog Project.
Every donation counts! It only takes $2.00 to vaccinate a dog or cat against rabies.
Every donation counts! It only takes $2.00 to vaccinate a dog or cat against rabies.
"This dog saved my life"
Watch the BBC piece about The Comfort Dog Project
Watch the BBC piece about The Comfort Dog Project
The BIG FIX Uganda runs the Comfort Dog Project and operates the only veterinary hospital in Northern Uganda, home to more than 7 million people and tens of thousands of companion animals. We provide free services every day to animals whose guardians love them but have little or no money to pay for veterinary care. We also use innovative methods to educate people about the sentience of animals and to promote animal welfare. Three dogs are part of our school outreach team.
Our services are provided free and in even the most remote villages. We turn away no animals.
To date, we have vaccinated and treated over 100,000 animals. Our services include:
To date, we have vaccinated and treated over 100,000 animals. Our services include:
- Rabies Prevention and Surveillance: working with local governments, we work to end rabies in the region through education, vaccination, surveillance, and emergency rabies response.
- Animal Birth Control: spay/neuter of dogs and cats and Trap-Neuter-Return of feral cats.
- Animal Health and Wellness: vaccination against rabies and parvo virus, de-worming, tick and flea treatment, treatment of wounds and injuries, and removal of cancerous tumors.
- Education and Engagement: through radio broadcasts, school visits, and one-on-one training with animal guardians, and art projects we teach people about animal rights and much more.
- Cruelty Investigations: through education and intervention when needed, to ensure compliance with Uganda's anti-cruelty laws.
- Animal Assisted Interventions: integration of a dog companionship program as part of psycho-social rehabilitation for war survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Art for Animals: using art as a part of our community education and outreach and painting murals to promote animal kindness.
The BIG FIX Uganda proudly received the 2018 WORLD RABIES DAY AWARD FOR SUB-SAHARA AFRICA. This was awarded to us by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control and MSD Health.
In 2021, our Education Program Manager, Francis Okello Oloya, was honored as "Education Champion" as part of the World Rabies Day Awards.
The BIG FIX Uganda has consistently been a Top Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits and we maintain the highest rating with the charity navigator Candid (formerly known as Guidestar).
In 2021, our Education Program Manager, Francis Okello Oloya, was honored as "Education Champion" as part of the World Rabies Day Awards.
The BIG FIX Uganda has consistently been a Top Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits and we maintain the highest rating with the charity navigator Candid (formerly known as Guidestar).
Why Uganda?
With a GDP per capita of $642.80 (World Bank, 2018), Uganda today is one of the poorest countries in the world. Northern Uganda is the poorest region in the country. (World Bank, Economic Overview of Uganda.) For over 20 years, northern Uganda experienced conflicts and insurgency due to the war between Joseph Kony's rebel army and the Ugandan government. The war devastated individuals, families and communities. The economy of the region collapsed. The people were subjected to horrible atrocities, including the abduction of children as soldiers. Although the war is now over, the wounds of trauma, poverty and frustration remain.
These conditions have also had a direct impact on the animals in Northern Uganda. The lack of veterinary doctors and inability to pay for vet services has caused the area to become a hub of many diseases, including rabies - which kills people and animals with shocking regularity. The absence of animal birth control has caused populations of dogs and cats to grow, leaving unwanted animals to suffer and starve to death. Our services are in high demand, as evidenced by long lines of dogs and their guardians whenever we hold our village field clinics.
These conditions have also had a direct impact on the animals in Northern Uganda. The lack of veterinary doctors and inability to pay for vet services has caused the area to become a hub of many diseases, including rabies - which kills people and animals with shocking regularity. The absence of animal birth control has caused populations of dogs and cats to grow, leaving unwanted animals to suffer and starve to death. Our services are in high demand, as evidenced by long lines of dogs and their guardians whenever we hold our village field clinics.
Uganda