(April 15th, 2020, Santiago).- In the pandemic Covid-19, from OTD, Chile we decided to continue providing our services to the trans community in terms of psychologic attentions, accompainment between peers, and the trans encounter group (Grupo de encuentro, GET) which are being carried out online. Also our Education, Legislation and Public Policies, Health, Communications, Mapadres and Investigation units are working remotely to keep supporting the trans community and their families.
On this emergency period, we have also collaborated with the most affected groups inside the trans community such as the migrant sexual workers, coordinating a donation campaign through the legislation coordinator, Franco Fuica. The campaign has reunited funds to buy food, and basic supplies for 16 trans women who live in the Madrid neighborhood at the Santiago municipality, besides starting a masive campaign to ask for sewing machines and support them to create a entrepreneurship.
OTD, Chile is also organizing the transmission of the TRANSFEST 2020 online, and will present trans and non-binary musicians and artists of Latin America and The Caribbean as a way to create and strenghten the visibility networks and support in these difficult moments.
For Michel Riquelme, Executive Coordinator of OTD, Chile: “Even though most organizations and activists in this health and social crisis has taken us by surprise, in OTD we trust that we are going to resist and move forward to collaborative solutions inside social movements that allow us to face the crisis and help each other. While we have our health and strenght, we will continue working for the mission that summon us.