"My name is De Lovie Kwagala, and I am an award-winning queer, non-binary photographer, artist and activist currently living and working in Kampala, Uganda. My work is a celebration of queerness which brings attention to marginalised groups without victimising or fetishising them. In only three years, teaching myself, I have achieved a lot - against many odds.

In Uganda, LGBTQ+ people are at risk of verbal, physical and sexual violence on a daily basis. Many community members also struggle to access work and educational opportunities. Despite this, I now have the opportunity to take my craft to another level, and have been accepted to study at the Market Photo Workshop school in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2021. But the expenses around rent and general livelihood for my seven year old daughter and I are overwhelmingly high. In 2019, I applied for the school grant for enrolment in 2020, but I just missed out, coming in third. I planned to save up this year and fund myself - then 2020 happened and I was drained of my savings.

I was raised by a single parent and, as fate might have it, I turned out to be one too. Watching my mother struggle with raising and schooling us taught me one big lesson - to not stop until you make it. I love what I do, and I yearn for the opportunity to develop my knowledge and skills through a formal education in my field. Getting into this school has been a huge dream of mine and now that it is finally in my grasp, I refuse to let anything stop me.

School fees for myself are already covered, plus 4 months of rent, but I am hoping to raise $15,000 USD in order to pay for my remaining rent, living expenses and school fees for my daughter for 12 months. Being a single parent while studying means I'll have little to no time to support myself and work to cover all of these costs. This means I need your support on this exciting journey, to learn from the best of the best, on African soil. Whatever you are able to give, no matter how small, helps and goes a long way. Thank you."