Handicrafts showcasing employment opportunities for gender-diverse individuals
An initiative of TransEnd, a handicrafts fair was held on Friday afternoon, aiming to empower the marginalised transgender, hijra and gender-diverse community of Bangladesh.
The unique fair featured five stalls showcasing a wide range of products starting from colourful jewelries and dresses, tie-dye and screen-printed t-shirts to tote-bags, hand-poured candles, and jars of pickles, all of which were made by trained members of the gender-diverse community. The proud makers of the products were present to display their artistries to the invited guests and the intrigued crowd.
Under the "Improving Livelihood of the Transgender Community", project of Transend supported by Youth Co:Lab, 20 transgender individuals were provided with Handicrafts and Beautification training to help them seek employment or entrepreneurship opportunities.
In the presence of Daniel J. Buchman, Consular Officer, US Embassy Dhaka, transgender rights activist Shanjiboni; Mahmudul Hasan, Programme Officer and Youth Coordinator, UNDP; Mozammel Haque, Programme Analyst, UNDP Bangladesh; employers and beneficiaries of the training programs shared their experiences in a formal sessions.
"Due to the downpour, a few guests could not make it but the event was purposefully successful due to the presence of so many individuals from so many marginalised communities." remarked Lamea Tanjin Tanha, Founder & CEO of TransEnd.
Supported by UNDP, Youth Co:Lab and Citi Foundation, the fair took place at the Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium, Social Science Building, Dhaka University.
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