Uganda: Hounds of Hope

“After a long civil war, many in Uganda are traumatised by the atrocities they have experienced. The Comfort Dog project aims to help Ugandans overcome their bad experiences. Stray dogs are allocated to a person to provide comfort for both human and hound.”

For twenty years, the rebel militia Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fought to overthrow the government. According to UNICEF estimates, the rebels abducted between 35,000 and 66,000 children during this time. They were forcibly recruited as soldiers and sexually enslaved. Tens of thousands of civilians were murdered, mutilated or tortured. Over 90 percent of the population in northern Uganda lived in refugee camps. Although these times are over, many people still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. To help them, the animal welfare organization Big Fix is resorting to an unusual means: street dogs. Thousands of stray and often neglected dogs roam Uganda's towns and villages. But it is precisely these animals that can bring comfort to lonely and emotionally distressed people.