INDIA
Pride Home / Astitva
Building skills. Creating livelihoods. Advancing independence.
Creating pathways to independence.
Pride Home works to advance the dignity, wellbeing and economic independence of transgender people and LGBTQIA+ communities in India.
Founded by Sarita Shukla and operating in partnership with Pahal – Nurturing Lives, Pride Home combines livelihood development, vocational education, health support and advocacy for equal rights.
Through its mentorship and skills-development initiatives, Pride Home creates supportive spaces where community members can develop practical skills, explore professional opportunities, build businesses and pursue greater financial independence.
Its approach recognizes that meaningful inclusion requires more than acceptance. It requires access to education, employment, healthcare and the opportunity to shape one’s own future.
Skills. Opportunity. Independence.
Pride Home’s work addresses the practical barriers that can limit opportunity for transgender people and LGBTQIA+ communities. Through vocational education, entrepreneurship, health support and advocacy, its initiatives seek to create pathways toward greater independence and inclusion.
01 — SKILLS & VOCATIONAL TRAINING
Practical skills can open doors to employment, entrepreneurship and greater financial independence.
Tailoring Vocational Training
Pride Home provides specialized tailoring training for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, offering a supportive environment to learn stitching, design and garment-making skills. The program focuses on practical, hands-on learning that can prepare participants for opportunities in the fashion and textile industries.
Business Administration & Computer Training
Pride Home has offered vocational training in business administration and computer skills, including office management, digital literacy and professional communication. These skills can help participants navigate the workplace and pursue employment or entrepreneurial opportunities.
Cosmetology Vocational Training
Pride Home’s cosmetology training introduces participants to professional skills in beauty, hair and skincare. Through practical instruction, the initiative seeks to create pathways into the beauty industry and related employment opportunities.
02 — ENTREPRENEURSHIP & ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE
Turning skills into opportunity.
Entrepreneurship Development
Pride Home has worked with community members to identify their interests, talents and aspirations and explore ways to turn those skills into sustainable livelihoods.
From beauty and cooking to dance and other creative pursuits, its entrepreneurship initiatives encourage participants to develop their ideas, build confidence and pursue opportunities for economic independence.
03 — HEALTH, WELLBEING & INCLUSION
Supporting the whole person.
Counselling & Therapy
Pride Home has described providing free, confidential and gender-affirming mental health support for LGBTQIA+ community members.
Its published approach emphasizes accessible, client-centered and culturally responsive care, with attention to trauma-informed and restorative practices.
mMitra Project
Pride Home’s published profile describes involvement in the mMitra initiative, which connected transgender women with training and roles supporting maternal health and expectant mothers in underserved communities.
The initiative was originally developed to support pregnant women living in urban slum communities, providing information and assistance during pregnancy.
Gender Identity & Financial Inclusion
Pride Home has worked to help transgender community members access identity documentation and financial services, including voter identification, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and bank accounts.
Access to appropriate documentation can be an important step toward financial participation, recognition and inclusion.
These descriptions reflect documented partner initiatives; current service availability has not been confirmed.
04 — ADVOCACY & SOCIAL AWARENESS
Building understanding. Advancing inclusion.
Diversity Training on Gender Identity & Gender Expression
Pride Home and Pahal have conducted workshops with the Delhi Police focused on gender identity and gender expression.
These initiatives seek to increase understanding of the diversity of the communities officers serve and encourage more informed and inclusive engagement.
Skills, dignity & independence.
Graduates completed Pride Home’s livelihood and skills-development programs.
This is a partner-reported achievement, not a current-year organizational total. The original program record refers to Pahal – Nurturing Lives; this profile retains the established Pride Home / Astitva reference.
HISTORICAL RESPONSE — COVID-19
Standing together in a time of crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns and the loss of livelihoods left many LGBTQIA+ community members facing food insecurity.
Pride Home and Pahal – Nurturing Lives responded with emergency food assistance, delivering an average of 4,000 kilograms of food each month at the height of the pandemic.
Working together for equality.
Out For Equality connects financial and strategic support with locally led work.
Through our relationship with Pride Home / Astitva and Pahal – Nurturing Lives, we support initiatives that advance economic opportunity, health, education and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ communities in India.
The programs and achievements described on this page reflect the work of the partner organizations. They are not Out For Equality staff services.
Be part of the progress.
Supporting locally led organizations helps strengthen the people and communities working toward a more equal world.