Trans people to get trained in micro-enterprises through Kudumbashree

  • | Saturday | 25th February, 2017

After the launch of Udayam, more trans members are coming forward from across the city to join the unit. "I am an M Ed student but most of the members in our transgender community are uneducated or dropouts. So we are planning to include more of them before we start the training for micro-enterprises," Reenu adds. So we intend to start micro-enterprises which will enable us to earn our living and to live with dignity in society. It aims to create separate self-help groups for transgender people, the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, minorities and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

The Kudumbashree programme has successfully empowered many women with different entrepreneurial schemes till date. Now the Kudumbashree has extended its help to the third gender as well with an aim to bring the members into the mainstream.Udayam, a new ayalkoottam or neighbourhood group was formed in Kunnukuzhi ward in Trivandrum city recently. The group is the second of its kind in the State, the first being launched in Kottayam on February 13 named Manaswini."The formation of these separate ayalkoottams are part of Disha-2017, a scheme launched on January 28 this year. It aims to create separate self-help groups for transgender people, the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, minorities and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The initiative aims at providing employment opportunities for trans people who are mostly abandoned by their families," says Reenu Prathap Singh, chairperson of Kudumbashree Community Development Society.Udayam consists of 15 members with trans people Ranjini Pilla as its president and Shyama S as its secretary. "I am an M Ed student but most of the members in our transgender community are uneducated or dropouts. So we intend to start micro-enterprises which will enable us to earn our living and to live with dignity in society. Since we don't have an identity card or document to establish our gender, we are not able to avail help from financial institutions. But the ayalkoottam will see to it that after six months we will be eligible for funds to start an enterprise or avail loans from banks," says Shyama.Elaborating on the project and how the group will shape up as a Kudumbasree unit, the councillor of the ward, IP Binu says, "The State has many empowering programmes for the transgender community. Udayam is also an initiative to uplift them to lead a life just like the other two genders. Involving them in neighbourhood groups like this will break the social stigma and misconceptions about them among the public. They have expressed their wish to set up catering services, beauty parlours and organic farms. They will be provided with training in the respective fields by the Kudumbasree mission."The community can have ayalkoottams even if they are not residents of the particular wards. "It is not necessary that they should be residents of the respective wards. After the launch of Udayam, more trans members are coming forward from across the city to join the unit. So we are planning to include more of them before we start the training for micro-enterprises," Reenu adds.

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