Basera means home. For many people who come to us, it was the first door that opened after a lot of doors had closed.

Basera was started in Noida in 2006 by transgender people who had faced exclusion themselves and wanted to change things from within their own community. It was registered as a society the same year (Reg. No. 914). Twenty years on, it is still run by people from the community.

We work with transgender and hijra persons, people living with HIV, sex workers, MSM and young people at risk. Many of our field staff come from these same communities, and that makes a real difference. People open up more easily to someone who has been through the same things.

On any given day, our team might be testing someone for HIV, helping someone get an Aadhaar or TG card, meeting a police officer or a doctor, or teaching stitching and beauty skills. We also run Garima Greh, a shelter home in Noida. And we keep following up until the help actually reaches the person.

Basera works across Uttar Pradesh, with offices in Noida, Ghaziabad and Bareilly. An eight-member board looks after the organisation, our accounts are audited every year, and we are registered under 12A, 80G, FCRA and CSR-1.