Education
Education is key to creating better lives for animals and people.
The BIG FIX’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:
“The Big Fix Uganda is one of the partners in education providing health related education and awareness services to students on animals’ rights and wellbeing through school and community outreaches since September 2012.
The Headteachers Association-Gulu City and my office are in great appreciation for these achievements by The Big Fix Uganda.”
Why Education Matters
Many people are not aware that animals have feelings just like people do – that they can feel pain, fear, and hunger – and that they can understand us. When The BIG FIX brings dogs into the schools, children and their teachers realize (perhaps for the first time in their lives) that animals are sentient beings like us and that our lives can be enriched by bonding with them.
While this lack of awareness may be difficult for people in some parts of the world to believe, this is the situation in many places, including Uganda.
Watch this video to see the burst of laughter and surprise from both children and teachers, when Comfort Dog Peyot responds to her guardian’s commands.
School Outreach
Our Education Program Manager, Francis Okello Oloya, is an internationally recognized Education Champion who leads BIG FIX’s dynamic school outreach team. The team includes a top Gulu Police official, the Principle Education Officer for Gulu City, and three Comfort Dog Project canines and their handlers.
Since we began school visits in 2012, The BIG FIX Uganda has visited more than 350 schools, reaching more than 300,000 children and their teachers.
“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.”
The 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.
Radio Talk Show
Thanks to our partnerships with MEGA FM and Favour FM, millions of people in Northern Uganda, Eastern DRC, and South Sudan hear our weekly radio talk shows, led by Education Manager Francis Okello Oloya.
The Big Fix Uganda veterinary staff, field educators and community police are regular guests on our programs. The broadcasts include call-in segments so that community members with questions can have questions answered live on air.
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.
Community Field Educators
Graduates of our Comfort Dog Project have the opportunity to undergo additional training to empower them to serve as community educators.
Our Field Educators work at village clinics to check all dog neck restraints and exchange unsafe restraints (such as chains or wire) for rope; provide animal health and welfare education; and to teach grooming and washing.
Helping to Educate Future Vets
The BIG FIX hosts interns and school visits to support the education of future veterinary professionals.
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.
You can buy a piece of our beautiful artwork by visiting The BIG FIX Store!