MUMBAI: Sia Sehgal, a class XI student from Hill Spring International School Mumbai, is organizing a vaccination drive for the transgender community at Malad.
The compassionate and resilient young girl has raised funds through donations and contributions to make this much-needed initiative a success.
Unlike most of us, the Covid-19 vaccination drive for the transgender community has been sluggish in the city. For many reasons, they have not been fortunate enough to secure the vaccine against this deadly virus.
Considering the risk they are exposed to in earning their daily bread; it becomes equally essential for them to get fully vaccinated.
Realizing this need, Sia, through her platform, ‘Something Unsaid,’ is working towards the inclusion of this vulnerable group of our society to get their vaccination done at the earliest.
After several discussions with the transgender community heads and persuading them on the benefits of being inoculated, Sia has successfully managed to coordinate the camp between the hospital and the community.
On Saturday, 24 July, a large number of transgender members will be administered their first Covishield dose, free of cost, at TriveniSamaj.
To further make the entire vaccination process a pleasant experience for the community, Sia plans to distribute ration kits and snack boxes at the venue.
The organizations that have supported Sia for this initiative are HCG-ICS Khubchandani Cancer Centre, Art and Soul Cancer Foundation, In Harmony (diversion and inclusion consultancy), Triveni Samaj Vikas Kendra, Sakhi Char Chawgi Trust, Mumbai District’s AIDS Control Society(MDACS), and I-TECH India.
“INCLUSION is a RIGHT, not a PRIVILEGE.” Vaccine accessibility for every community of our country is of supreme importance in the fight against covid. It is, therefore, my endeavor to include the vulnerable transgender groups of Mumbai and facilitate their acceptance towards being vaccinated,” said Sia.
“Understanding the dire need of having this community vaccinated at the earliest, I initiated this drive through my platform ‘Something Unsaid.’ Taking one step at a time, I hope to encourage many more members of the transgender community to come forward and safeguard themselves. I feel fortunate to be heard and helped in order to make this drive a success,” she further added.
