Trans-Help Combating HIV & STI

Transgenders are 12 times more at risk to affect from HIV/Aids and are continuously denied access to the health services and often stigmatized in Pakistan and beyond. Through this inclusive app, supported by AI and GPS, our team aims to combat transphobic stigmas, educate 50,000 transgender and youth and empower them to protect and secure their lives from not only aids/HIV but other endemic diseases. This app provides 24/7 tele-health and legal aid support, provide user friendly guidelines and educational assistance on how to prevent endemic diseases, safe sex practices, and how to reach to nearby police station and hospitals in case of emergency. Besides digital outreach, our project seeks to educate and create a national trans-alliance to end transphobic stigmas, uphold their human rights, and improve health, education and employment status of most marginalize community (transgenders) in Pakistan. Our team comprised of young doctors, lawyers, police and AI experts. 

Globally, Transgenders are 12 times more at risk to affect from HIV/Aids and are continuously denied access to the health services and often stigmatized. Pakistan, Transgender community also confronts a culture that perpetuates discrimination, particularly health marginalization, leaving them in a miserable condition. The transphobic stigmas and alarming spread of HIV/AIDs in Pakistan, posed various challenges, as both crime and HIV cases are growing at alarming speed among Trans community. The official sources claimed that HIV is prevalent among 5.2 percent of total 90,000 transgender (mainly due to unsafe sex).Likewise, rising violence, rape, murder of Trans-people, calls for a holistic approach to tackling not only discriminatory stigmas but to ensure that Trans-health and Life are secure and protected. Besides cultural and institutional challenges, the trans community itself do not know what are their rights and how to save them from the spread of HIV/AIDs. The unsafe sex among trans people is also another reason for the spread of HIV/AIDs. Being mindful of heart-wrenching state of transgender persons’ rights, especially Young Transgender, we gears up to uphold rights of transgender persons by digital nudging to enhance understanding of transgender rights and between people through changing people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Trans-help is digital platform designed to help and support Transgenders and youth to prevent HIV/Aids, Sexually transmitted disease and create a healthy, balance, protective and conducive environment for victims of transphobia and enable them to be a productive member in the society. It specifically focuses on:

• Behavior Change customize outreach , including awareness regarding HIV Treatment and prevention and transphobic stigmas
• Distribution of Information and education material regarding HIV prevention and treatment, STI symptoms and use of Condoms, PrEP.
• Assist Transgenders and youth in voluntary & confidential HIV Counseling and testing (VCT) services, diagnosis and treatment of various Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) through our partners
• Tele-health and particularly Psycho-social counseling for TGs and community
• Assisting in lodging FIR and ensure safety of Transgenders by providing accurate nearby police stations
• Assist in employment, skill development and counseling
• Referral support and linkage into CBPO Centers with strong follow-up

Over 50,000 transgenders across Pakistan will get benefit from this initiative and we anticipate to also sensitise and educate more than 10,000 students (age 15-29), primary health workers, 30,000 young professionals including doctors, lawyers, journalists and law and enforcement agencies in Pakistan. Based on our participatory research and focus group discussion with more than 700 transgenders across Pakistan, and found that they are frequently exploited and discouraged in their communities. The people, especially police, abuse them in many ways e.g. they are forced to sex, forced to give money to police, and illegally arrested and kept locked up for days and weeks without justifiable reasons. No one provides them free legal support and they are not able to hire a legal consultant. Furthermore there exists no mechanism for providing free-of-cost legal or health support or guidance to them. While, majority of the transgender are stable and they does not face serious financial crisis, however the attitude of people towards them needs to be changed. As part of access to health, justice and provision of basic awareness and training on on their human rights, and health, an inclusive, functional and free App services is ideal.

Our initiative focuses on combating HIV/AIDS epidemic (besides transphobic stigmas) amongst transgender (particularly the trans sex worker) through training, advocacy, massive campaigning and developing a digital tool “Trans-help” that have in-built chatboot to respond to critical challenges faced by any trans-who registered via our app and portal. The project also entails sensitizing general public and service delivery institutions (Hospitals), Religious leaders, Media and youth for the Trans-health and Rights.Through participatory learning and sharing the project will enable the transgender to access better health facilities and reduce transphobic stigmas.

As per our research, there is no existing platform or organization using GPS, Chatbot and Tele-health services together to combat transphobia and sexually transmitted diseases in Pakistan and beyond. We are pioneer in designing this App and providing such services as "one-stop solution" to "Educate, Empower and Secure" "Transgenders" and "Youth" using existing technology but updated data. In the context of growing sexual violence, health, and human rights disparity, this AI-powered chatbot can also connect users with human support—often from experienced healthcare providers including transgenders—in cases of emergency, or simply for a more empathetic ear. It also provide GPS enable data to find lost family member and law and enforcement agencies can easily find Transgenders or young people if they are lost or kidnapped. All they have to do is to press the SOS button. We also strengthen people and trans knowledge, improved and enhance HIV/AIDS prevention directives to align with global, regional and national initiatives. The project also seeks to support and advance peer knowledge on these diseases and human rights violation, that also contribute towards improving access to social protective services under the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) not only to the transgenders but also other young people and enabling environment to reduce stigma and discrimination against transgender through sensitization sessions and innovative behavior change communication strategy.

Trans-help is an android app having a AI-powered chatbot can also connect users with human support—often from experienced healthcare providers including transgenders—in cases of emergency, or simply for a more empathetic ear. It also provide GPS enable data to find lost family member and law and enforcement agencies can easily find Transgenders or young people if they are lost or kidnapped. All they have to do is to press the SOS button. Thus it use Mobile data and we are looking to find sponsored to add voice/speech recognition into the app. Specifically, it focuses on:

• Behavior Change customize outreach , including awareness regarding HIV Treatment and prevention and transphobic stigmas
• Distribution of Information and education material regarding HIV prevention and treatment, STI symptoms and use of Condoms, PrEP.
• Assist Transgenders and youth in voluntary & confidential HIV Counseling and testing (VCT) services, diagnosis and treatment of various Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) through our partners
• Tele-health and particularly Psycho-social counseling for TGs and community

https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Youth+Advocacy+Council&hl=en_IN

To strengthen and enhance specialized knowledge and skills of our target groups (Trans) on HIV/AIDS, Sexual health and other endemic diseases through digital app;  resulting in Behavior Change; securing and protecting trans-gender’s social, health and economic rights in Pakistan. The short and long term outcomes are as follow:

• By the end of the project, at least 50,000 transgenders will have increased specialize knowledge on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDs and other diseases along with their human rights and psychological support.
• By the end of the project, at least 150 key stakeholders have been sensitized and are more aware of the challenges and current trends affecting the transgender population and willing to provide a supportive environment. 
• By the end of the project at least 10,000 young doctors, media representatives as well as university students along with Transgenders being engaged as master trainers/ambassadors to further disseminate trans people health rights in the province.
• By the end of project at least 600,000 viewers in Pakistan will be reached and sensitized on Trans-health and rights based articles, social media compaigns and news columns

In the past, we served 300 Transgenders, 4000 students across Punjab provinces. This year, we will serve more than 1200 transgenders and 1000 students in three districts namely Lahore, Peshawar and Swat. In next five years, we aim to reach 50,000 transgenders and 10,000 students in Pakistan

In next few years, we aim to establish Youth Advocacy Resource Center, an evidence based data-drive training and skill development center in Islamabad connected to 34 districts wise Free Legal Aid Committees (FLACs) that faciliate free legal aid, provide data to our digital disruption unit and donors.

Our goal is to reach more than 1 million transgenders and young professionals to educate and train them over STDs/Aids/HIV and other endemic diseases and design an inclusive data driven resource centers in Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa, Mongolia, Brazil and Albania. 

We also anticipate to add more features including voice and speech recognition so that disable youth and transgenders can use it effectively. In addition, we will digitalize the public and private Care, Treatment & Prevention and Data Support Center through Geographical Access and Information Management System, to analyze HIV/Aids and Violence case, prevent transphobia, increase access, care, treatment, demand & supply to reach & engage maximum people online and break the silence of people living with HIV/AIDS, youth, vulnerable population, transgender and high risky behaviors. This Center will connect Quality Health Care Seekers to Quality Health Care Providers through real time reach, mapping, information, locations, contact and to approach the identified CTPs and using AI.

There are various challenges that are impediments to our growth and achieving vision. However, primarily, we lack financial support that may help us to re-design better and effective projects, train and hire new technical staff in deep learning, AI, app development and programming, as well as establishing a fullflegde office. 

We have volunteers and advisory team that comprised of senior professionals to help us occasionally in app development and project proposals. We get some funding from Good Thinkers Organizations, and currently have some funding from Gilead Sciences to upgrade this app and project. However, we still need technical and financial support (worth 150,000US$) to hire more professional permanently that can help us to reach our goals. 

We are 6 full time staff who work on this app. While have a panel of 30 volunteers Advisors (PhD. medical doctors, and graduate students) and law professionals.

As a mid-career professional, I have profound expertise in Project Planning, Management, developing MEAL frameworks, creating e-M&E systems, impact evaluation, developing policies and fostering external partnership between Government, Private sector and & Donor community in South/East Asia and Africa. I lead a team of over 3000 staff in the past and managed a portfolio of over 100 million US$ program that benefits over 1 million population in Asia/Africa. As a Co-Founder and CEO of the Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan, I am also operating one of the leading Cybersecurity firm Securitywall.co applauded by ebay, Microsoft and other corporations in the world. I Advisory Member to CIVICUS-World Alliance for Citizen Participation where I provide strategic and technical support to Global Solidarity Fund, aiming to bring digital disruption in human rights across the global south. I hold master in international development from KDI School of Public Policy and Management, South Korea and held various trainings and courses at Oxford, Moller Institute, Diplo-Foundation, MITx and SNU in design thinking, AI, entrepreneurship and e-governance. Therefore, I am fully prepared to excel as MIT solver and manage this project effectively. Likewise, our team comprised of Business, Cybersecurity, AI and Data analysts, who can further elevate this project. 

Gilead Sciences United States

Good Thinkers Organization for Human Development, Pakistan

M&S Research Hub, Garmany

UNDP Pakistan

UNSDN Youth

Its purely a non-profit model and we don't charge any fee or subscription cost.

While currently our Social Enterprise Securitywall.co, providing consultancy to corporations, organizations, government and individual on cybersecurity, that raise some money for our social causes, however, we plan to make agreement with firms and care centers, that may provide subsidize treatment to the patients we refer.