Startup creating jobs for trans persons recognised

CHENNAI: When 25-year-old Neelam Jain was thinking of starting a social start-up for creating employment, and also entrepreneurship skills for transgenders, many told her that transgenders knew only begging and sex work, and no matter where they were placed, they will go back to the same work.

However determined to go ahead, Neelam Jain, a B. Com graduate from Stella Maris College founded PeriFerry, the start-up, a few years ago. Today, through PeriFerry, transgenders are employed in around 92 companies. On Sunday, Neelam Jain was among 15 nominees who received the Third Edition of “Alert Being” Awards 2019 for Good Samaritans, by Alert, an NGO that works in empowering common man to save lives by responding in times of emergency.

“I was working for an MNC company at Bengaluru. That is when I got the chance of interacting with transgenders for a project. Then I understood that more than talking about rehabilitation of the community, we should make them financially independent. That is how PeriFerry was born. Today, the start-up works with around 160 companies including Walmart, The Bank of America, Valeo RMKV Silks, Naturals, Chai Kings, and SPI Cinemas”, she says.

Bharaa, a 24-year-old gold medallist in engineering, is one among many transgenders who are employed in corporates. “I got the job, when I started working with PeriFerry. There is no discrimination in the company and I am enjoying my job,” says Bharaa.