Phnom Penh Animal Welfare Society (PPAWS) was founded by an English lady, a teacher by profession called Nicola Scales….
… and all from a desire to make a difference to the challenging lives and conditions facing animals in Cambodia.
Armed with this strong wish to try to make tangible improvements in the welfare of animals, Nicola founded PPAWS in 2011 in the country’s capital, Phnom Penh. With the help of many Khmer and expatriate animal lovers, all with a common wish to try to improve the lives of animals and, in particular, the many homeless and stray cats and dogs in Phnom Penh, the organisation started. Focusing on providing medical care to improve the well-being of animals wherever they could they also started trying to educate people on responsible pet ownership and, welfare.
Since those early days, PPAWS has become a near household name in Cambodia for anyone concerned with Animal Welfare. Due to the success of Nicola and the PPAWS team including Chamnan Nou, Kea Neak and Heang Bun, PPAWS is no longer just focused on Phnom Penh. Now, they run missions countrywide working with other like-minded Animal Welfare and Animal Rescue organisations as well as, individual Animal lovers all trying to make a difference.
In 2019, PPAWS opened a second clinic in the southern Province of Kampot, providing veterinary services to the region. In the past, PPAWS visited the area once a month to run a pop up clinic in Kampot town and house visits in the Kep area. Now the new clinic serves as a southern Cambodian base for PPAWS community missions in that region, as well as much needed veterinary services for pet owners.