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There are the invisible margins which separate people based on discriminatory social practices. These margins tend to be vested in the blind spots of commuters, who have developed a habit of ignoring them due to cultural ideas reinforced over a period of time. Naina, a transgender activist from Union Council Gulbahar, Peshawar knows these margins all too well. The margins in the middle of her city seemed even more prominent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As her community felt abandoned amidst an environment shrouded in fear, anxiety, and confusion.
To ensure that no one is left behind amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, IRC’s partner organization Medical Emergency Resilience Foundation (MERF) under the EU funded ECHO project reached out to Naina and another transgender activist from her community, Farzana, in May 2020. The IRC team requested their help to raise awareness regarding COVID-19, including symptoms and infection prevention, as well as free services that they can avail through an ECHO supported center.
Recalling her struggle to convince people to get tested for COVID-19
“The most difficult part is convincing the transgender community to face a society that is not ready to accept them as equal citizens. The suspicion and anxiety is a more devastating enemy for them than the pandemic”.
–Naina
While the transgender community in Gullbahar seemed largely unaffected by the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, Naina suspected that people might be reluctant to come forward. To sway their community members amidst an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, both activists worked for several days and convinced their community to seek help in case of symptoms. They also facilitated the IRC team to distribute brochures covering the basic information around COVID-19.
After five months of rigorous follow-ups and active awareness campaigns in Gullbahar, the community has remained mostly unaffected, not showing any visible signs of the spread of the disease in the transgender community. Naina and Farzana have both been in close contact with IRC’s MERF representatives to coordinate in case a member requires support for active screening and/or testing.
