16-Year-Old Raises Funds To Vaccinate Transgender Community

Sia Sehgal, a 16-year-old student from Hill Springs International School, Tardeo, has become the first teenage donor recorded with Maharashtra District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) to procure and donate Covishield vials for the mass immunisation programme for members of the transgender community. 120 members were administered their first jab at the free vaccination drive, for which, the teenager raised ₹2 lakhs.

Sehgal took up the initiative after learning that many members of the transgender community were shying away from getting the jab due to lack of awareness and stigmatization. “Since I wanted to help the community, I contacted the heads of the transgender community and sensitised them about the need for vaccination through Zoom video calls. When they agreed to get vaccinated, I contacted different organisations like InHarmony, Triveni Samaj Vikas Kendra, and I-TECH, who helped me raise the fund for procuring the vials and organising the camp,” said Sehgal.

I-TECH, along with MDACS (Maharashtra District AIDS Control Society), organised a vaccination camp for members of the transgender community at Triveni Samaj, Malwani, Malad. Sehgal procured the vaccines from HCG-ICS Khubchandani Cancer Centre. She also plans to organise another vaccination camp for their second dose.

“Taking one step at a time, I am hoping to encourage many more members of the transgender community to come forward and safeguard themselves. I feel fortunate to be heard and helped to make this drive a success. Many transgenders claim that they face stigma which discourages them from getting vaccinated. Considering they are a vulnerable group of the population, it is our responsibility to ensure that they are fully vaccinated,” she said in an interview with Times Of India.