US offers $500K grant to improve English skills of Pakistani transgender youth

The Biden administration in United States is offering a $500,000 grant to promote English language skills in Pakistan, with a specific focus on transgender youth, Fox News reported on Tuesday.

The grant, which is part of the US State Department's efforts to help Pakistani youth better participate in the global community and prepare them for success in the workplace, will provide professional development courses for English language teachers from non-mainstream institutions, novice Pakistani English language teachers, and transgender youth and Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals residing in Pakistan.

The programme component that focuses on transgender youth is accepting proposals from applicants for a minimum of $25,000 and a maximum of $75,000 to implement intensive professional development courses for Pakistani transgender youth between the ages of 13-25 and Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals residing in Pakistan.

The grant aims to improve English language communication skills among trainees and connect them to a professional alumni network.

Also read: Shehzad Roy, Ahsan Khan laud opening of first transgender school

The State Department's human rights report for Pakistan has praised the country's 2018 Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Act. The report suggests that Pakistani police should prioritise ways to prevent increased levels of violence against transgender people. It notes that public venues in Pakistan were less likely to host "transgender events" than "religiously based anti-LGBTQI+ protests".

A spokesperson for the State Department clarified that the grant funds will not be used for gender transitions. Instead, the grant focuses on providing marginalised communities, in this case, transgender youth, with integral skills that help unlock educational and employability opportunities.

Interested applicants to the grant programme are encouraged to address the most effective ways to reach the greatest number of Pakistani transgender youth and Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals from diverse locations across Pakistan.