DOUGLAS, ENTREPRENEUR AND PROVIDER, AGE 17

   Douglas Okello is 17 and he is the main breadwinner in his family in Aboke, Uganda. Both of his parents died when he was six months old, during the war in northern Uganda. He now lives with his grandmother (who is so proud of him!) and two other orphans.
   Douglas is passionate about photography. When I visited him in May, he expertly arranged a large group of Small Business Fund leaders to pose for a group photo. He also took photos while I shook hands and visited grantee partners’ shops.
   He used a Spirit in Action Small Business Fund grant to purchase a fancy backdrop and a bright red chair for his photography studio. Douglas’s services are in high demand! He works in a community where people don’t have easy access to photos, and may only have one printed family portrait in their homes.
   He has been in business for one year and already he has been able to build his own thatched-roof house! He planted flowers in the yard, a touch of beauty in the face of the trauma that he has already endured. He is also investing in goats and pigs as a way of saving for the future.  
   As a way of Sharing the Gift, Douglas takes and prints photos of elderly community members.