‘Gender Loving Care’: Welfare initiative aims to help LGBTQIA communities turn self-sustaining

Bengaluru: CBM India Trust has launched Project Sparsh, a comprehensive initiative designed to improve the health, income security, and overall well-being of 1,000 LGBTQIA+ individuals in Bengaluru.

While Bengaluru is widely regarded as one of India’s most progressive and visible hubs for the LGBTQIA+ community, many within it, particularly transgender persons and queer youth from low-income backgrounds, continue to face barriers in accessing healthcare, livelihood opportunities, social protection, and decent jobs.

Social stigma, discrimination and lack of family support continue to impact the physical, mental, and economic well-being of many community members.

Project Sparsh seeks to address these challenges through a holistic and community-led approach that combines healthcare access, HIV/AIDS awareness and support, eye care, income generation, entrepreneurship support, and peer-led community engagement.

The initiative will facilitate access to inclusive healthcare services for 1,000 LGBTQIA+ people through awareness programmes, health camps, counselling support, eye screening services, and referrals to government health systems.

By creating safe and affirming spaces for engagement, the project aims to promote health-seeking behaviour, improve awareness of rights and entitlements, and strengthen overall well-being.

A unique component of Project Sparsh is its focus on vision care, an often-overlooked aspect of healthcare within marginalized communities. Through targeted eye screening initiatives, the project will provide free spectacles to 250 LGBTQIA+ people and support 50 individuals requiring corrective eye surgeries, helping improve quality of life and independence.

Recognizing the continued need for targeted HIV/AIDS and STI interventions, the project will work closely with the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) to strengthen awareness, voluntary counselling and testing, peer educator engagement, and linkages to treatment and support services.

The initiative will support community members in accessing existing government-supported services while promoting stigma-free healthcare.

Teaching them how to fish

Economic empowerment forms a key pillar of Project Sparsh. The initiative will provide livelihood and entrepreneurship training to 200 LGBTQIA+ persons, equipping them with skills in business planning, financial literacy, digital tools, and enterprise development.

In addition, 200 individuals will receive support to start or strengthen small businesses through seed funding, mentorship, and market linkages.

The livelihood component aims to create pathways to dignified and sustainable income opportunities for a community that often faces exclusion from mainstream employment opportunities. By fostering entrepreneurship and self-employment, the project seeks to strengthen financial independence, confidence, and social inclusion.

Importantly, the project will adopt an inclusive approach that ensures LGBTQIA+ persons with disabilities can access healthcare services, livelihood opportunities, and community support systems on an equal basis with others.

Commenting on the launch, Sony Thomas, Executive Director, CBM India Trust, said: “For many LGBTQIA+ people, especially those from low-income backgrounds, access to healthcare and economic and social support continues to remain a challenge. Through Project Sparsh, we aim to create opportunities that enable people to live healthier, safer, and more independent lives while fostering greater acceptance and inclusion within society.”

The project is set to establish 10 peer-support groups and engage over 50 institutional stakeholders, including government departments, healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and frontline workers, to strengthen community-led support systems and promote long-term sustainability.