Hi!

I was recently asked by bishop Laurie Green if I might be able to help with fundraising to support a group of 12 trans people living together in a village in south India. Since the Covid-19 lockdown they have struggled to find food to support themselves or money to pay their rent. All are young trans people who have been neglected or rejected by their families and who must now survive by begging and sex work.

FPSI (Friends of the Poor in South India) is an organisation co-founded by bishop Laurie. As well as funding employment and education projects they have recent been helping the poorest families to stave off malnutrition and sickness during this Covid-19 pandemic. FPSI recently encountered this group of trans people and would like to raise money to support them and others like them on an ongoing basis.

Here is more information about the situation for trans people in Tamil Nadu:

Tamil Nadu has an estimated population of 30,000 transgender people. They face many problems in obtaining employment, struggling for their own identity and accessing basic needs and facilities due to lack of opportunity in society.

Trans people face discrimination in education, work, politics, health, religion, culture, society and family in Tamil Nadu. These factors create unemployment and an insecure life for them.

Lack of income leads to hunger, and they become unwillingly or willingly inducted into sex work and begging. They are therefore sexually active, and a high risk group for STDs.

In the Village of Parali (Natham), Manasa (age 32 & transgender) lives with 12 young trans people (aged 18 to 32 in various stages of transition) who have been neglected by their families.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown:

Among the 12 members, only one has his family ration card which has given them just 7kg ration of rice per month from the government.

The government doesn’t issue ration cards to trans people. Until recently they survived by begging in shops for money and vegetables.

All live in one small house and through daily begging on bus stands and public places they were able to pay rent. The lockdown has removed this source of income as well.

Their current needs:

At present, they need support for basic needs such as groceries and vegetables. FPSI can purchase these in bulk to feed 12 people for three months at a cost of 24,000 rupees.

They also require money for rent. Three months would be 12,000 rupees.

Therefore, we would like to raise 36,000 rupees (£375 or $475).

If you can help even in a small way this would provide some security for this specific group, especially when all their other forms of income are unavailable. If we raise more than our target, we will be able to assist the ongoing employment training for these and other groups of the poorest of the poor.

Thank you so much,

Revd Tess Lowe on behalf of

Rt Revd Laurie Green and the Friends of the Poor in South India.

FPSI

Laurie's website