Project for the empowerment of Female Sex Workers and Transgenders
Introduction of the organization Purnkuti, is an NGO, registered in 2011 at Barh, Patna District, Bihar, and working extensively in Pune and Hyderabad as well. Purnkuti has been active in the field of women, children, and community development. The organization has been giving persistent inputs over the decade to improve the quality of lives of impoverished communities across Bihar, Telangana, and Maharastra benefiting children, women, sex workers, transgenders, and rural populations through quality inputs on education,
skill development, awareness, health & nutrition, and counseling. The organization aims to build an ecosystem of sustainable development and increase economic development within the community itself.
Project aim :
‘Dhara’ (English meaning, ‘stream or flow’) aims to provide sustainable development and opportunities to women and transgenders to improve their living standards through different
programs for the promotion of livelihood and entrepreneurship so that they don’t just exist but they actually thrive in every way.
Key objectives of the program
- To facilitate the economic development of female sex workers, HIV-infected/affected women, transgenders, and women & transgenders who are socially and economically disadvantaged.
- To provide vocational training & counseling so that they acquire the skills that are necessary for income generation.
- To provide entrepreneurship development training to the women which includes training on financial literacy, customer management, sales and marketing, individual counseling,
linkages to banks and other financial institutes, and promotion of the aptitude, skills, and practices that are required for managing a successful enterprise. - To sensitize women through various awareness programs on different social issues relating to their day-to-day life so that they have appropriate skills, attitudes, and practices required for managing every facet of life.
The rationale for the project
Female sex Workers and Transgender constitute the marginalized section of the society in India and thus face legal, social as well as economic difficulties. These people are shunned by family and society. They have restricted access to education, health services, and public spaces, till recently, they were excluded from effectively participating in social and cultural life. Politics and decision-making processes have always been out of their reach. They also face difficulties in exercising their basic civil rights. We have from time to time seen cases of harassment, violence, denial of services, and unfair treatment against transgender persons.
Most of the time transgenders hide their identity at the workplace, often citing a persistent feeling of being unwelcome. This identity struggle has detrimental impacts on their health, happiness, and productivity.
On this background, it becomes detrimental to bring in the measures for female sex workers and transgenders for improving their overall status of health, education, and livelihood so that they can live an independent and dignified life.
Project Details
The project aims at implementing the following activities
- Promoting self-employment among female sex workers and transgenders for enhancing their level of income and standard of living.
- Promoting platforms/ options for saving, credit, and insurance for growth and stability.
- Provide individual counseling to them for helping them with the tools and techniques to deal with issues related to mental health.
Scope of the Vocational Training
| Sr No | Particular | Outreach |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vocational Training – Tailoring, Beauty parlor, Cake making, Cushion making, Liquid Soap, Phenyl making, Detergent powder, Toilet Cleaner making, Instant Mixes – Dhokla, Idli dosa, Uttapa, Bhajani – Thalipeeth, Upasachi, Gulab Jamun, Jewelry making, Handmade Soaps Making, Diwali Products: Diya Painting, Ubtan making, and Lamp Making, , Masala making & Cotton bags stitching, |
13 types of training |
| 1.2 | Total Outreach | 250 trainees |
| 1.3 | Number of exclusive trainees | 80-100 beneficiaries |
| 2 | Number of Project Staff | 7 |
| 3 | Counseling | Being in vulnerable situations Transgenders and female sex workers need a lot of counseling support to cope up with the adversities that they are facing. A professional counselor will be appointed to take care of the mental health issues of this group. |
| 4 | Self Help Group Promotion | 3 SHGs will be promoted and strengthened |
| 5 | Awareness Programs | For all vocational training students and other Female Sex Workers and the Transgenders in health and nutrition, mental health, saving and budgeting, deaddiction, gender, and sexuality, etc., |
| 6 | Business Management Training for | 80 -100 new entrants |
| 7 | Staff Training | The project staff will be trained in how to conduct livelihood training, promote SHGs, Mental health, and Project Management. |
Budget – INR 3,279,075/-
Conclusion
Each being in this Universe is indeed unique, and an integral part of Nature. It would thus be wrong to judge and discriminate against people who may be different from the stereotype, which again is man-made. It is time that India realized that every individual in this country has equal rights and privileges, and follows the policy of “live and let live.” With project Dhara, Purnkuti intends to give opportunities to female sex workers and transgenders to explore and learn and become part of an equitable and just society.