Help Two Pakistani Queer Siblings With Education

Hello, my name is Firdous Chowdri-Gaewalla, and I am a trans woman based in Karachi, Pakistan. My younger sibling, Amna, and I are struggling to continue our education, which is why we need your help.

My sister and I were born into a blue-collar family; my mother was a school teacher and my father a retired foreman of Pakistan Steel Mills. With both of them no longer of sound mind, the brunt of household expenses and raising Amna falls on me. To that end, I’ve been working as a copywriter since 2016 while functioning as a single parent also pursuing their undergraduate education.

My university education got thrown off-track, right in its final stretch, by the Covid-19 pandemic. With my current pay, in a turbulent Pakistani economy, I cannot afford my tuition fees while still making ends meet at home. I need my undergraduate degree to access higher education opportunities in the realm of Queer Studies - my dream and aspiration.

I have known the happiness of having a queer daughter when in fact I am trans. Indeed, Amna is my de facto daughter, and I’m immensely proud of everything she’s achieved thus far despite the challenges. She’s self-learned computer coding, specifically Python and C++, and wishes to become a programmer. Plus, she is very creatively gifted - her animations are stellar.

Keeping in mind that Amna and I are both queer, we find ourselves uniquely vulnerable. I want to ensure she has a safe childhood - one that allows her queerness to expand, not stifle it. She recently received 7 A’s in her O’Level exams and has received a partial scholarship in her highschool of choice. A portion of these funds are for her admission fees, examination fees, and high school stationary as she intends to study A-Level Art & Design.

Given my passion for the queer peoples of the world, I fully intend to utilize my education to give back to my community. In 2022, cataclysmic climate change-induced floods wracked Pakistan. In the absence of adequate flood relief for afflicted queer persons, I mobilized a team of queer activists worldwide to launch the Queer Flood Relief Unconditional Cash Transfer Program (QFR-UCTP); via which we facilitated direct cash transfers to 240 queer flood affectees.

I want to continue creating emancipatory opportunities for my community members in the otherwise hostile economic environment of Pakistan. I continue to put out the results of my research on my social media handles as well as my substack, taasha.substack.com

Amna and I need approximately 15,000 USD to cover our education expenses, living costs, and any gender affirming care we may need. This includes paying for rent, necessary medical care, food, books, and tuition.

Education is a gift for a lifetime. Your help will change our lives forever, so please consider contributing.

Sincerely,

Firdous

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A note about the fundraising organizer:

I am an anthropologist studying queer and trans communities in Karachi, and had the fortune of meeting Firdous and Amna while conducting on-site fieldwork in Pakistan in 2021. I believe so wholeheartedly that Firdous and Amna will do amazing things in the future, and I am glad to be able to help in my own small ways.

The money that you donate here in US dollars will be transferred to me, and I will then be able to wire transfer it directly to Firdous.

Hope that you can give - even a small amount goes a long way.

Thank you,

Hafsa