Garima Griha In Mumbai To Provide Accommodation And Skills To Transgender Community

A shelter home for the vulnerable transgender people was inaugurated in Mumbai last week. Located in Goregaon, this is a 3,000 square feet space which can house upto 25 people at a time. 

The shelter home is a part of a pilot project initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) under which 13 such facilities have been started in 10 cities across India. As per the ministry's requirement, all these centres besides providing accommodation also include provisions like food, clothing, recreational facilities, skill development opportunities, yoga, meditation/prayers, physical fitness, library facilities, legal support, technical advice for gender transition and surgeries, capacity building of trans-friendly organizations, employment and skill-building support among others. 

A crowdfunding campaign was launched by  Transgender Welfare, Equity and Empowerment Trust (TWEET) Foundation, the CBO designated to manage the shelter home in Mumbai, in order to riase further financial support for the project which recieved overwhelming support. The facility was started in April but the formal launch was delayed due to the pandemic. 

Speaking during the launch event, NISD director Dr Veerendra Mishra (IPS) said the success of this one-year pilot project will be detrimental in establishing a network of such shelter homes in every state of the country in the future. 

Through this Garima Griha, TWEET Foundation aims to create aspirations, build dreams and usher in a new generation of trans development by means of community centric skill development, leadership and psycho-social support, said co-chair of the foundation Maya Awasthy. 

The shelter home currently houses ten people from the community and its  common areas have already been used for various events including a recent chocolate making workshop. 

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