Education
Animal welfare education is key to creating better lives for animals and people.
The BIG FIX Education Program
The BIG FIX Uganda’s Education Program covers a wide breadth of information but the core components include:
Animal Health and Wellness
Rabies Prevention
Spay/neuter as a humane method of dog and cat population control
The Five Animal Freedoms
Uganda’s Animal Cruelty laws
The positive impact of human-animal bonds
We deliver these messages in a variety of innovative ways, such as school outreach, a radio talk show, community educators, an animals rights club, Art for Animals, and the Great Dog Guardian Book.
I believe that providing this education to children has resulted in education to other family and community members and that in general give(s) better knowledge and understanding that acts of cruelty against animals are not allowed.”
ASP Patrick Jimmy Okema, Public Relations Officer, Aswa Regional Police
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Core components of
the Education Program:
School outreach
Each year, our education program reaches tens of thousands of students across Northern Uganda for lessons in compassion, responsible animal care, and rabies prevention.
Children and teachers see dogs as intelligent, sentient beings—capable of love, loyalty, and joy— trusted companions and protectors.
This knowledge is transformative in a region where rabies remains a deadly threat, fear of dogs is widespread, and harmful misinformation is deeply rooted.
Since 2012, The BIG FIX Uganda has visited over 350 schools to reach over 300,000 children and educators. Our healthy, friendly dogs are seen as companions who can be trusted, understood, and loved.
Our education program is shifting mindsets —replacing fear with empathy, misinformation with truth, and indifference with responsibility. We are fostering a generation that will treat animals with kindness and build safer, more compassionate communities.
Radio talk show
Through our partnerships with MEGA FM and Favour FM, our weekly radio program reaches millions of listeners across Northern Uganda, South Sudan, and Eastern DRC.
Our veterinary team, field educators, and local community police join the broadcast to discuss animal welfare, rabies prevention, and public health. Listeners can call in and ask questions and get real-time answers—creating a dialogue about animal welfare across the region.
Community educators
Graduates of our Comfort Dog Project can take their healing journey even further by becoming trained Field Educators—community leaders who promote compassion and responsible dog care.
These dedicated educators work at village clinics across Northern Uganda, where they inspect dog neck restraints and replace dangerous materials like chains or wire with safer, more humane rope collars. They also provide hands-on education in animal health, hygiene, and welfare—teaching dog owners how to properly groom, wash, and care for their animals. In doing so, they become powerful agents of change, spreading knowledge, empathy, and hope throughout their communities.
Animal rights club
The BIG FIX is the proud sponsor of the Agole Primary School Animal Rights Club, a dynamic group of young people who are educating their fellow students and their communities about animal welfare.
The BIG FIX Uganda’s Outstanding Animal Advocate Scholarship, which pays school fees for exceptional students, was established in 2024.
Art for Animals
Our Art for Animals project uses art to teach children about the importance of kindness toward all living beings. Led by local artist Odongkara Oscar Benjamin, the program has children working with the artist to create a mural for their school. To date, BIG FIX has created more than 90 murals at primary schools in Northern Uganda.
Great Dog Guardian Book
Since 2020, we have distributed more than 45,000 copies of the Great Dog Guardian Book, a resource full of information aimed at improving the lives of dogs and forging human-animal bonds.
The book includes The Five Animal Freedoms, how to care for your dog, veterinary emergencies and first aid, the importance of spay/neuter, basic dog training using positive reinforcement, understanding dog body language, parasites, and much more.
Our school outreach program, the Great Dog Guardian Book, and our Art for Animals program are generously sponsored by our education partner Underdog International, a U.K.-based charity which aims to positively impact one million children and dogs.
Hear the burst of laughter and surprise from both children and teachers, when Comfort Dog, Peyot, responds to her guardian’s cues! WATCH VIDEO
