Kolhapur Trains 15 Trans Persons As Disaster Responders, Breaking Barriers Beyond Marginalisation

Kolhapur, Sep 20: In Kolhapur’s lanes, a quiet transformation is taking root as a group of trans people, long confined to the margins of begging and exclusion, are stepping forward as first responders, channelling their strength and care to protect lives in emergencies and find dignity.

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Trans volunteers join disaster response

The Kolhapur District Disaster Management Authority in Maharashtra has trained 15 trans persons in flood management, search and rescue, first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), in an initiative officials claimed to be the first of its kind in the country.

The first batch underwent a three-day training programme in May, covering practical aspects of disaster response, including operating inflatable rescue boats, rescuing people from water and administering first aid and CPR. The volunteers have since undergone further practice sessions.

Training idea took shape

The idea grew out of the administration's interaction with the transperson community during the COVID-19 pandemic, District Disaster Management Officer Prasad Sankpal told PTI.

"During COVID-19, they were in a very difficult situation. We had supported them with rations, packed food and, in some cases, financial assistance through voluntary organisations. That was when we came in close contact with them," he said.

Sankpal said he began considering the possibility of involving members of the community in disaster management in 2023, but it took time for the idea to gain acceptance.

"There was some hesitation in their minds - whether they would be able to do it. I kept communicating with them and showed them examples of our Aapda Mitra and Aapda Sakhi volunteers," he stated.

Community gains new role

The training was eventually taken up with the help of Maitri, a trans persons' organisation led by Mayuri Alvekar.

Kolhapur, which is prone to floods, also witnesses large gatherings at places such as the Jyotiba temple and Mahalakshmi temple, besides road accidents and other emergencies. Sankpal said the trans volunteers would be gradually integrated into such community-based disaster response activities.

"They have the strength to do physically demanding work and also have a caring nature. We wanted to use these qualities positively and bring them into the mainstream," he said.

The initiative is also beginning to change perceptions within the wider society, the official said.

Public support grows

An engineer from Kolhapur recently marked his daughter's fifth birthday by inviting members of this team of first responders and arranging insurance policies for 10 of the volunteers.

"It was a very encouraging example. Someone felt that if the administration had taken such a positive step, he too should contribute," Sankpal said.

The volunteers come from varied backgrounds. One works as a tourist guide near the Mahalakshmi temple, another is pursuing post-graduation and works as a counsellor, while another is associated with a Pune-based organisation. One member is a trained nurse, and Alvekar runs her own organisation.

These lifesavers are not paid employees of the disaster management authority and participate as volunteers.

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Volunteers continue training

The team was also called in during this year's monsoon as a precautionary measure, but there was no major emergency requiring their deployment.

Sankpal said the next step is to give the volunteers greater field exposure and sustain their training.

"We have lit a lamp and want to give this initiative a much wider form. Even if the team does not immediately become larger, we want to ensure that these 15 volunteers continue to train and remain active," he said.

The initiative has already generated interest among transperson groups in other districts, including Nandurbar, Dhule, Parbhani and Thane, who have approached the Kolhapur team to explore similar participation in disaster response, the official said.

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A step towards inclusion

For the volunteers, the exercise is therefore about more than learning to handle a rescue boat or perform CPR. It offers an opportunity to be seen not merely as recipients of assistance, but as trained community members capable of providing it.

"We wanted to bring them into the mainstream through meaningful participation," Sankpal added.

The support extended by the disaster management authorities and the district administration encouraged the trans persons, Alvekar said.

"There was no discrimination or stigma. We were treated like any other individual. That helped us continue the training and the work," she added.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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