In India, the transgender community has beenfacing many issues daily, and no one can listen to their woes.
This community has always been neglected andseen as a downtrodden one.
When pandemic hit the India, the communitywas the worst sufferer because their livelihood depended on singing atfunctions, sex work, and begging, and all were disrupted. Vaccinationwas also an issue as much was spoken about its adverse effects.
In fact, many were showing hesitance fearing the vaccine reacting badly with sex change hormones.
However, a trans woman from Chhattisgarh¡¯s Durg?has taken the responsibility to dispel therumours related to taking the COVID vaccine, and it gets it for his community.??
¡°I too had hesitations about the COVID-19vaccine, especially as I had recently undergone a sex reassignment surgery, andafter the first shot, I had fallen sick. But once I understood the importanceof taking the shot, I wanted everyone in my community to get it,¡± said Kanchan Sendre.
Sendre was convinced about the safety ofthe vaccine through the multiple engagements that she had with the MOMENTUM RoutineImmunization Transformation and Equity Project team, a USAID-funded initiativethat helps the Central and state governments accelerate COVID-19 vaccinecoverage. USAID awarded the Momentum Project to John Snow India Research& Training Institute Inc in 2021.
She said that many factors wereresponsible for the vaccine hesitancy.
¡°Apart from the usual rumours on socialmedia etc., the transgender community had some specific concerns. Many of themtake sex change hormones, some are HIV positive. They did not know how theirbodies would react to the vaccine. Also, many no longer identify with thegender mentioned on their official ID cards. They feared ridicule atvaccination centres. Since I understood their problems, I could convince them.I was determined I would not give up,¡± Sendre said.
Sendre has been working for the welfare of her community since 2008. She is a member of theThird Gender Welfare Board of the Chhattisgarh government and runs anorganisation called Sangharsh Samiti, which helps transgender people get jobs,government benefits, and social and economic acceptance.
Thanks to Sendre¡¯s efforts, in December2021, a vaccination camp for transgender people was held in Durg, incollaboration with the project and the state government. The benefits wentbeyond just COVID-19 vaccination. They have explained the need and importanceof the vaccine in a manner they would understand.
Sendre is hopeful her efforts for the vaccination will also benefit her community in other ways. ¡°My life¡¯s mission is to pull my community from the margins. I hope thisexperience of getting vaccinated will encourage trans people to come forward andclaim more government benefits as equal members of the society,¡± she adds.
?65 transgendered people in the Durg districthave taken the shot, and she feels that her seven months of hard work has not beenwasted. This earned her the epithet of ¡®Vaccine Didi¡¯.
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