For 21 -year-old Sanamahaji Shivanagi, a transwoman from Bagalkot, begging and sex work were the only means of making a living till recently. But, now after attending MOVE (Market Oriented Value Enhancement) training by Best Practices Foundation (BPF), a city-based NGO, the transwoman has turned into a vegetable vendor.
“After MOVE training, I started a vegetable shop and I stopped both begging and sex work. Now the City Municipal Council has given me a shop, and the respect and love that I get from the community has changed my life,” she said.
She is one among the 51 members of gender sexual minorities community who have turned into entrepreneurs following the training. Sangeetha Purushothaman, Executive Director of BPF, said the NGO carried out a livelihood intervention in Karnataka with two vulnerable and stigmatised populations - the Transgender (TG) community and sexworkers.
