We provide year-round assistance for every stride
Education and Life Skills
Transgender and Intersex persons are deprived of social-economic and cultural participation in the communities that they live in hence they have restricted access to education, health care and public spaces, their civil liberties are trampled upon and all this deprives them of their constitutional guarantee of equity for equal protection of the law. It is not uncommon for Transgender and Intersex persons to drop out of school because of harassment and discrimination that they face every day. As a result of this there is reduced literacy rates among the community when compared to the general population. The mind-set of the academic fraternity and other sectors of life must be positive and motivating about Transgender and Intersex children’s education and rehabilitation. Transgender and Intersex children should be given vocational and skills training to make them independent and self-sufficient. Education and skills opportunity play a pivotal role in enhancing jobs and economic opportunities for the individual.This self-dependency will enhance their moral confidence and their acceptance in society as well as in their families.
Health For All
Transgender and Intersex people are individuals of any age whose gender identity and expression does not conform to norms and expectation traditionally associated with the sex they are assigned at birth. Transgender and Intersex people should have a right to non-discriminatory and essential health care services as required by any person in the general population.
Lack of education among the Trans and Intersex persons due to the various challenges that they face in their day to day challenges, Transgender and Intersex persons are often forced into sex work which put them at a high risk for HIV acquisition and transmission. They accept these sexual encounters either for fear of rejection or they want to affirm their gender through sex.Stigma and discrimination against Transgender and Intersex people often prevent them from accessing health care services including HIV counselling, testing and treatment.
Education & Awareness
This programme educates and raises awareness within the transgender,
intersex communities and the larger community which views transgender
and intersex people as outcasts.
Stigma and discrimination experienced by transgender and intersex people
causes mental turmoil which triggers suicidal tendencies. Quoted in a recent
Irish study in SafAIDS toolkit, “Speaking from the margins”, analyzed results
from a survey they conducted. In the survey, about 80% of transgender
people had thought of committing suicide. About 40% attempted suicide,
and 44% had harmed themselves. All due to stigma and discrimination from
our families, communities, the current legal framework and health care
system.
Methodology : Dialogues, focus groups, IEC material distribution
Life Skills & Livelihood
Through this initiative, Trans Smart builds skills which are in need for
transgender and intersex persons to regain their self worth and confidence.
This program seeks to alleviate challenges such as poverty,
unemployment, gender based violence through capacity development
and skills distribution for transgender persons, enabling them to make a living
whilst providing entrepreneurial or employment skills within their own
communities.
Health & Support
This program focuses on addressing health related issues such as Sexual
and reproductive health, STI’s, HIV and mental health. Access to health for
marginalized transgender and intersex people is key in this program.
Provides health education and support services such as testing, counseling
and condom distribution.
From our support groups, access to health care was noted as a challenge
due to stigma from most health care providers and limited knowledge on
how to treat transgender persons.
Advocacy and Multimedia
Trans Smart supports the recognition and advancement of the rights of
transgender and intersex people. Through this cause the organization
engages key stakeholders such as the government, policy makers, judiciary,
private individuals as well as the community in general. The main objective is
to create an appreciation of the need of the rights of transgender and
intersex people to be recognized and to create policies and human rights
that protect and advance the same.
This initiative captures, records and disseminates information through
multimedia platforms because of their flexibility and ease to access. The
target is to make optimum use of the internet as one of the most common
platforms. Multi Media is a cross cutting component of all Trans Smart
programming for recording, documenting and also disseminating
information. Our common multimedia tools include social media and e
newsletters among others.
