PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
Whereas academic alternatives have been few and much between for gender minorities in Pakistan, a neighborhood NGO has stepped in to create a world platform for the event of the nation’s transgender individuals. The Gender Guardian (TGG), a non-governmental organisation working to coach and educate transgender individuals in Pakistan, has partnered with numerous overseas NGOs to permit transgender residents the chance to take part in a month-long coaching program in 4 completely different international locations.
Transwoman Sania Abbasi, who’s a make-up artist and has been related to TGG as a instructor for the previous a number of months, is among the many many aspirants of the coaching scholarship. If chosen for the coveted programme, Ms Abbasi says it is going to carry her immense satisfaction to be certainly one of Pakistan’s first transgender individuals despatched overseas for coaching in social work and welfare. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to represent our country on an international platform and I have been working tirelessly towards achieving my goals. I can’t wait to work alongside international NGOs. I want to learn from them and also share my personal experiences with the world.”
In response to The Gender Guardian (TGG) Head Asif Shehzad, his organisation is dedicated to offering equal alternatives to transgender folks by way of the supply of free vocational coaching and formal schooling. “We have taught and trained dozens of transgender people in various skills such as driving, cooking, makeup, sewing and etc over the last couple of years. However, through this scholarship the selected participants will be able to use share their skills and talent with the world and for the first time, have access to international cultural exchange and training,” stated Shehzad. Talking additional concerning the scholarship programme, Shehzad additionally knowledgeable that The Gender Guardian has been working in the direction of compiling a digital database of transgender individuals registered with TGG in addition to different individuals who donate to the organisation. “So far, we have partnered with NGOs working in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Using our database, we will select candidates every six months to be sent to these four countries for a month-long training, while people from the same four countries will also have the option to come and train in Pakistan. Our selected candidates will be working alongside their host country’s NGOs and represent Pakistan on an international level,” he defined.
Sania Abbasi, believes this scholarship will permit the folks of the world to see the abilities and expertise of Pakistan’s transgender particular person, who typically are usually stereotyped as folks restricted to intercourse work. “As a gender minority, we have little no resources for pursuing higher education or going abroad, because of which we have very limited opportunities for work. However, this scholarship opportunity for transgender people to showcase their abilities and break the stereotypes associated with them,” she asserted.
Revealed in The Specific Tribune, June 28th, 2020.
