about us
Who We Are
We are a powerhouse team of passionate artisans and animal lovers who want to support a greater mission for healthy, positive development in this picturesque country of Uganda.
Uganda is home to a culturally rich, remarkably friendly, hard-working and creative society of nearly 50 million people. Collectively, the founders of Uniquely Paws have lived, worked and volunteered at the USPCA in Uganda for nearly 15 years. Our mission is to create opportunities for growth through sustainable initiatives. Uniquely Paws features a model that we believe can be implemented anywhere in the world to create lasting impact
What We Do
Uniquely Paws is committed to creating a lasting impact in street animal-populated communities through educational programs. These initiatives go beyond promoting responsible pet ownership and healthy animal interactions; they also educate local communities about the importance of spaying and neutering to control animal populations and reduce the suffering of street animals. By teaching people how to safely provide food, shelter, and basic medical care to street animals, we aim to build a more compassionate and mutually beneficial coexistence between humans and animals in these areas, ultimately improving the well-being of all.
Our Mission
One community at a time, together with local governments, local volunteers, and donors, and with the cries for help from our stray and rescued paws, our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of stray animals, eliminating the need for mass euthanasia by authorities, dead and diseased animals on our streets leading to vermin and other problems, while improving the health and welfare of community dogs, cats, and humans.
Paws Community Clinic 2022
One Health
The Problem we found:
Stray dog and cat populations in our communities lead to large, underserved, unwanted animals wandering our streets, increasing the risk of the spread of rabies, and overall public health dangers when packs get out of control.
Uniquely Paws to the Rescue:
Through our animal-themed craft sales and donations, we offer FREE community spay/neuter, Vaccination and education clinics to any neighborhood in need of help to keep their pets and humans safe. In 2023, we introduced our “Yellow Ribbon” campaign where every dog or cat who came to our clinic and recieved a free rabies vaccine, we placed a yellow ribbon around their neck to indicate to their communities that these animals were safe from spreading rabies. It is a much needed program, and we hope through you continued donations, we can provide more durable and longer lasting yellow collars for all of our clinics planned for in 2023 and 2024. Please help us make a difference.
Women in crafts
Our Vision
We envision a world where the power and artistry of women can help fund Uniquely Paws’ initiatives throughout and beyond Uganda. We believe this grassroots, innovative and sustainable model is adaptable to all countries, and will proudly offer consultation services for rescue missions around the globe. Our ultimate dream is to put ourselves out of business! Our greatest hope is that countries around the world will be able to self-manage animal control without our help within the next generation. Uniquely Paws: One Community at a Time, One Country at a Time, One Health.
Our Impact
In our inaugural year, Uniquely Paws, in partnership with dedicated collaborators, achieved remarkable milestones. On World Rabies Day, we provided essential rabies vaccinations to over 802 cats and dogs, a significant step in safeguarding these animals from this lethal disease.
Expanding our efforts from November 2022 to April 2023, we extended our reach to care for a total of 1,046+ pets in Uganda. Our services included not only rabies vaccinations but also comprehensive care, including deworming and minor treatments. These endeavors exemplify our commitment to enhancing the well-being of the animal population in Uganda, furthering our mission to make a lasting, positive impact on their lives.
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Pets immunized
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Spayed &neutered
The Paws Mobile
Uganda has over 12,500 miles of highways and paved roads, making the country’s 70,000 small villages easily accessible by a mobile van unit. This vehicle, a mobile veterinary clinic, complete with portable x-ray machine, portable ultrasound machine, surgery tables and more will be able to perform the clinics throughout the country; treat sick and injured animals on the scene and transport them back to the USPCA for rehabilitation and rehoming. Therefore, we ask you to support our funding efforts with a donation today so we can start saving more lives, one community at a time.
Sue Williams
Co-founder and President Sue Williams, currently in New York City, fell in love with Uganda during her internship while pursuing her master’s in International Affairs. Her work focuses on women, children, and animals worldwide, with a hope to make Uganda her permanent home in the future.
Meg Jaquay
Co-founder and Secretary Meg Jaquay, living in Kampala, Uganda for 9 years, actively engages in local business and social impact efforts. She’s a passionate animal lover who has rescued over 200 puppies and kittens, and she’s a foster parent to 15 animals. Meg’s support for women’s initiatives and animal welfare aligns with our mission.
Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (USPCA)
The USPCA in Uganda, active for 25 years, is building a new rescue center. They’ve saved, cared for, and rehomed animals, and aim to expand their impact. Known for educating children, they’ll now reach entire communities for a brighter future. Your support makes a difference.
Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine Students
Students in training come to our clinics to provide vaccines, perform spay and neutering procedures, and offer basic care to injured or sick animals. They are unpaid volunteers, and your contributions enable us to express our gratitude by providing a free lunch and transportation for these animal-loving heroes
KCCA District Veterinary Officer (DVO) Dr. Katumba Hannington
Kampala City Council Authority District Veterinary Officer (DVO) Dr. Katumba Hannington is dedicated to promoting human animal population control and safeguarding the well-being of pets in communities through spaying, neutering, and vaccination clinics. But he can’t do it alone. With the support of our partners and Uniquely Paws, we can work together to create healthier communities throughout Uganda.
Beauty for Ashes Womens Collective
We met Caroline Wanyana Okurut, founder of Beauty for Ashes Crafts Innovation, a few years ago at a local market. Impressed by her handmade quilling items, she joined our team to create animal-themed ornaments. She leads a team of women and girls facing various challenges, teaching them to craft these unique items. Together, they embody the spirit of “beauty from ashes.” Their work is a blessing to our team, and we’re grateful for their contributions.
Sue Williams
Co-founder and President Sue Williams currently lives in New York City but is missing Kampala, her home of four years. She fell in love with Uganda while working on an internship as part of her master’s program in International Affairs at the New School in NYC. She has worked extensively with, and is deeply committed to women, children and animals in various parts of the world, and hopes one day to make Uganda her permanent home.
Meg Jaquay
Co-founder and Secretary Meg Jaquay, originally from New York, has been living in Kampala, Uganda for 9 years and is very active in business and social impact initiatives in her local community. As President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Uganda, she is always looking for opportunities between the USA and Uganda, so this initiative was right up her alley. Meg is known in her neighborhood as an animal lover, and has rescued over 200 “over the wall” puppies and kittens placed in her compound, finding homes for many, and becoming a foster parent for over 15 animals over the years. She has personally sponsored 3 spay and neuter clinics in her area, cutting down the vulnerable street puppy population down nearly 80%. Her passion to support women’s initiatives and animals is a perfect match for the philosophy of “Support a woman, transform the family”.
Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (USPCA)
The USPCA in Uganda has been in operation for over 25 years, recently acquiring a multi-acre plot of land, currently under construction of their brand new, state-of-the-art rescue center. They have rescued, spayed, neutered, vaccinated and rehomed thousands of domestic animals (and the occasional crested crane) over their quarter-century tenure, and will be dramatically upscaling their efforts in the near future! The USPCA has a decades-long track record of educating and sensitizing children through school programs, and we will expand this approach to include entire communities.
Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Students
Students in training come to our clinics to provide vaccines, perform spay and neutering procedures and provide basic care to injured or sick animals. They are unpaid volunteers, but through donations, we do provide a free lunch and transportation for these animal-loving heroes.
Kampala City Council Authority District Veterinary Officer (DVO) Dr. Katumba Hannington
Kampala City Council Authority District Veterinary Officer (DVO) Dr. Katumba Hannington is 100% committed to moving the city forward by encouraging his neighboring DVOs away from inhumane animal population control methods and ensuring the health and safety of both humans, animals and the environment through spay, neuter, and vaccination clinics. But he cannot do it alone; with the help of our partners and Uniquely Paws, we can ensure a constant pursuit of healthy communities all across Uganda.
Beauty for Ashes Womens Collective
We found Caroline Wanyana Okurut, the founder of Beauty for Ashes Crafts Innovation a few years ago while selling her handmade quilling items at a market. We absolutely fell in love with the artistry and asked if they would join our team and make animal-themed quilling ornaments as well. We sent her photos and using her creativity, and without any sort of template, she came up with our beautiful ornaments you see on this site and at UniquelyPawsLimited.etsy.com.
She trains her team of women and girls, most of whom are living at risk with HIV, or single mothers, she orders the strips of paper, instructs them how to make the items, and a few hours later, a new animal-themed ornament or magnet is ready. They work together as a collective so they can learn from each other, motivate each other, and save money together so they can loan each other money as they need help for their families. Many of us are familiar with the phrase “beauty from ashes.” It evokes a sense of comeback, of a phoenix rising from destruction, of finding something good in the midst of so much evil. These women feel blessed to be a part of our team and we feel exactly the same.
Women Integrated Empowerment Development (WIED)
We met Dorothy Wakabi from WIED at a craft market several years ago. Their specialty is using sustainably harvested cow horns and reshaping them, polishing them, and creating beautiful jewelry, ornaments, magnets, and key chains. We asked them to produce our animal-themed ornaments, magnets and keychains, and they came through like champions producing frenchies, labradors, poodles, great danes, and so many more you can find at UniquelyPawsLimited.etsy.com.
Their mission is to help women in their community fight off poverty, ignorance, and diseases using community empowerment to create sustainable livelihoods, and to restore their spiritual and moral strength. We unfortunately lost Dorothy in 2021, but I am sure she is looking down on us, proud of her team for taking on something new, and for the work we are doing with our mission to support women and the communities we live in.
Ekibbo Uganda
This team of women are passionate about protecting the environment. They collect plastic carrier bags, wash and disinfect them, and present these beautiful paw print bath mats.
Ekibbo Uganda is dedicated to the economic and social upliftment of women in marginalised rural and slum communities.Our mission is to provide these women with skills,opportunities,and support they need to break the cycle of poverty through the creation and sale of handcrafted goods. We aim to foster self-reliance, dignity and gender equality while preserving the environment and promoting traditional crafts.
DONATE!
Your donations are an integral part of our vision. Your contributions purchase vaccines and medications, fund clinics, help us to implement community educational events and provide food and transport for our tireless volunteers. Most importantly, we hope to put our Paws Mobile on the road within the next two years! With your investment in us, we will be able to realize our goals. Does your employer have a matching donation program or Corporate Social Responsibility team? If so, please get them involved!