The BIG FIX Uganda

06/16/2026

Today, one of our guardians and her dog came in to receive food support — something we provide to all guardians and dogs in our program whenever it is needed. In Northern Uganda, where the majority of people live on less than $2 a day and economic hardship is simply a fact of daily life, this kind of support is not a bonus. It is the backbone of everything we are trying to do.

Healing from trauma is hard enough. It should never have to compete with hunger.
Our lifetime commitment to every guardian and dog in the Comfort Dog Project covers ongoing therapy, training, veterinary care, and food and essential resources whenever circumstances require it — because we know that long term healing is only possible when the most basic needs are met. For our survivors and their dogs, that commitment is everything.

This is what it looks like to truly stand behind the people and animals in your care. 💕🐕🐾

06/14/2026

When this young boy heard that an unvaccinated dog who bites someone could be put down, he didn't hesitate. He immediately walked four miles (barefoot!) with his eight-month-old dog, Dream, to make sure his dog was protected. Because he loves his dog that much. 💙🐾

In Uganda, people are still dying of rabies — and we are the only source of rabies vaccinations in a region with 10 million people. For families who have no means of accessing or affording veterinary care, this is not just a free service. It is a lifeline for dogs and for the people who love them.

But what moves us just as much as the vaccine itself is what brought this boy to us — education. He knew the risks. He understood what was at stake. And he took action. That is the power of our community education work, reaching families and children and planting the knowledge that protecting your dog means protecting everyone around you.

Four miles. Barefoot. For the dog he adores. When dogs are protected, entire communities are protected. 🐾🐕💉

06/12/2026

In a region where rabies remains a very real threat and generations of misunderstanding have shaped how communities see and treat dogs, what our education team does in these schools goes far beyond a classroom lesson. It travels home. It spreads through families and communities. It saves lives — both human and animal.

That laughter is the sound of fear becoming curiosity — and curiosity becoming knowledge. This work is planting seeds that will continue to grow for generations. And these kids? They are the key to a more compassionate future. 🐾🐕💕

06/10/2026

During the war, Franco witnessed brutal murders and survived one of the most terrifying tactics of the conflict — being locked inside a grass-thatched hut that was set on fire in the night while people slept. Franco escaped and survived. Others close to him did not. For 15 years after the war ended, he carried those memories alone, living with severe PTSD while raising his 6 children, before finally finding his way to our Comfort Dog Project in 2021.

He named his comfort dog Gen Megi — meaning "trust what is yours." Gen Megi was rescued as a puppy after her mother was killed, she and her littermates were still so young they had to be bottle fed to survive. A man who had to fight to survive, and a dog who did the same. Two survivors who found each other and, together, began to heal.

Franco says "Gen Megi healed part of my soul that I didn't think could ever recover. She keeps my depression away." These two still need a sponsor to ensure their healing journey can continue — because healing from PTSD is a lifelong journey, and it never happens in a straight line. We make a lifelong commitment to both the guardian and dog, including veterinary care, therapy, food and other resources when need.

For just $25 a month, you can support them from afar and ensure they have what they need to continue healing and thriving.
👉 www.thebigfixuganda.org/sponsor-a-cdp-pair

06/08/2026

Meet Pamela & Happy. 🐾❤️

Pamela was abducted as a young girl during the war and spent eight years in captivity, enduring severe beatings and torture before finally escaping and finding her way back home. For the last 20 years, she has suffered silently and alone, carrying the weight of severe PTSD and depression while raising five children as a single mother. The fact that she is still standing is a testament to a resilience that is hard to put into words.

Her new puppy, Happy, was rescued after her former guardian was unable to care for her and threw her in a pit and left her to die. She was only four months old.

Two survivors who found each other. This is the beauty of the Comfort Dog Project — taking two souls who have each known trauma and suffering, and bringing them together to heal one another.

Pamela and Happy are part of our newly launched 2026 Comfort Dog Project class, just a few weeks into their six-month therapy program. For the first time in two decades, Pamela now has what she has always deserved — the therapy, resources, and support her healing requires, a team standing behind her, and a dog named Happy who will be by her side with unconditional love. 🐾💙🐕‍🦺

06/05/2026

Last month, our 2026 Comfort Dog Project class was paired with their new puppies and began the six-month training and healing therapy program together. Over the coming weeks, we can't wait to introduce you to every single one of them.

What you see here is more than a puppy learning to make eye contact on command, it is the beginning of a bond built on trust, communication, and mutual healing. Daily dog training is a cornerstone of the program. The simple act of a dog looking to their guardian for guidance is the foundation of everything that follows. For people carrying the weight of deep trauma, that moment of connection is powerful in ways that go far beyond obedience.

This year's class is made up of 12 women, every one of them a survivor of the civil war in Uganda living with untreated PTSD. Each guardian was either directly abducted by the rebel army, lost a family member to violence, or both. Among them are women who survived years in captivity, torture, being shot, and the unimaginable experience of witnessing the murder of siblings, children, and fellow abductees.

They have carried these wounds for a long time. And now, paired with their new comfort dogs — all rescue puppies and survivors in their own right — they are beginning the next chapter of their healing journey together.

We are in awe of every single one of them. Stay tuned to learn more about these resilient women. 🐾❤️

06/02/2026

Books have the power to change lives — and for these students, that starts with the dogs at home. 📚🐾

Each week, our education team visits a different school in the region to teach about the importance of animal welfare. At each visit, we give out 400 copies of our Great Dog Guardian book, which teaches kids everything they need to be a good guardian to their dog — proper nutrition and grooming, the importance of vaccinations and spay/neuter, how to prevent rabies, and above all, the importance of treating dogs with kindness and compassion.

When children learn to care for animals, they grow into empathetic adults who understand that the health of their community and the health of animals are deeply connected. Every book we distribute is a seed planted in a young mind — and we can't wait to see what grows. 🌱📖🐾💖

Thank you to for funding this impactful program that is transforming how an entire generation treats animals!

05/31/2026

Joel was abducted as a teenager by the LRA rebel army — enduring things no person should ever have to witness, including the murder of his own brother. The trauma followed him for years, and he struggled with PTSD. Then, he joined our Comfort Dog Project in 2016 and was paired with his companion dog, whom he named Aciro — meaning perseverance.

After graduating, his PTSD symptoms improved greatly. Then, in 2017, Aciro tragically passed away after battling illness. Heartbroken but true to his dog's name, Joel persevered — deciding to complete the canine assisted therapy training again in 2018 with Aciro II, named in honor of the friend who had changed his life. Aciro II was given up because his guardian could no longer care for him and Joel decided to open his heart once again to a dog in need.

Healing from PTSD is a lifelong journey, and Joel and Aciro II remain an active part of our program. Joel works as a field educator at our village clinics to help support his family— one of approximately 40% of program graduates we employ, because in a region where economic opportunity is scarce, our commitment to our guardians extends beyond healing and into livelihood.

That commitment depends on sponsorship. Joel and Aciro II are sponsored by Deb and Andy Burton but we still have 20 Comfort Dog Project teams who need a sponsor. Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing more stories of survivors and dogs who need your support.

$25 a month or $300 a year covers ongoing therapy, training, veterinary care, and food support and other resources for the guardian and dog when needed.

Will you stand with a Comfort Dog Project team? 🙏
👉 https://www.thebigfixuganda.org/sponsor-a-cdp-pair

05/31/2026

05/29/2026

These two boys walked 10 miles to bring their sick puppy to our animal hospital to get the care she needed to survive. 🐾

Let that sink in. In Northern Uganda — where dogs have historically been feared, neglected, and abandoned — two young boys went above and beyond for their animal without a second thought. This is how we know our educational work is changing more than just individual lives. It is changing how an entire generation sees, relates to, and loves animals. And that change? It will ripple for generations to come.