Self help is the best form of help. Realising this, members from transgender welfare groups have started providing dry ration to aged and poor members in their community across Chennai. Apart from this they are also distributing food to aged and homeless living on pavements.
There are 2,700 transgenders in Chennai registered with the Transgender Welfare Board. “We rehabilitated many of who were into begging and made them start their own businesses. But after the lockdown they don’t have any income,” said R. Jeeva, founders Transgender Rights Association.
To prevent them from getting back to their old habits due to poverty, the transgender associations started providing food. “We provide them with rice and grocery that can last for atleast 20 days. We have also created awareness about hygiene and hand washing,” said Ms. Jeeva.
C. Swetha, founder, Born to Win Social Welfare Trust, which works towards education, employment and empowerment of transgenders said that, with the help of individual donors and transgenders who have come up in life, she has provided grocery to 140 persons across the city and others parts of the state.
“There are many diabetics and some HIV positive affected people in our community. We identified those who need help and provided food. However, help has not reached transgenders living in villages,” she pointed out.
Police also help
G. Anand Babu, Choolaimedu, Law and Order Inspector has been co-ordinating with organisations like Thozhi and Sahodaran to provide grocery to transgenders across the city. “Till date we have served 600 persons. All of them were struggling without food,” said the inspector.
P Sudha, member, Transgender Welfare Board, said that the police and actor Raghava Lawrence have been providing grocery. “My team members go around the city and deliver it to transgenders within Chennai. Many of them suffer from diabetes and hyper tension,” she added.
