Moon profile

Mahnoor AKA Moon Ali is a self-identified transgender woman. She has been serving as a Program Director at one of the community based organizations, named Khawaja Sira Society based in Pakistan since 2012. Working in the field of HIV/AIDS and health related issues of the Transgender community. Being a program director of Khawaja Sira Society she has successfully implemented multiple projects which include, Multi Country South Asia Global Fund Project. (Reducing the Impact of HIV on transgender populations in South Asia”) in Lahore Pakistan as Sub-Recipient (SR) with the collaboration of UNDP and save the children international Nepal, another project titled “Service delivery to Transgender sex workers /transgender to Reducing the Impact of Hepatitis B & C and syphilis on transgender populations with the collaboration of Punjab Aids Control Program, and she has also implemented the IGNITE project 1^st round (Advocacy with key stake holders to create an enabling environment) with the collaboration of YVC .

She always encouraged strategizing community system strengthening and she did so by adopting intervention of capacity building and provided multiple training to the community and organized and arranged training and mobilization events for them. This included vocational training, leadership, Health awareness, Service delivery training, Advocacy training, Rights awareness training and so on.  

She completed her MBA in management and finance and she is the finalist of ACCA. She also worked with many organizations related to accounts and finance fields like in Lahore Chamber of Commerce, Harvest Top-worth International and she has also experience in teaching to the general population and Trans-gender’s.   

She is also a well-known person in transgender community and Khawaja Sira’s community. Being a trans-gender her social networking is really strong as she has organized International Development Law Organization survey to identify and highlight the community issues and has also organized Focused Group Discussion on behalf of Youth Voice Count and conducted research studies to address the stigma and discrimination and based on experience to deal with grass root level community and as a researcher she has developed sensitization guideline to sensitize key stakeholders regarding the issues by addressing the stigma and discrimination to create enabling environment.  She has also successfully completed the literacy Adult Chand Programmed related to Trans-gender’s and Khawaja Sira’s education and this project were given by World Bank. Through this project she has given education and awareness to the Trans-gender &Khawaja Sira’s community regarding their rights especially health related to HIV & Aids.

It has been more than seven years that she has represented the Trans-gender community in different national and international platforms as she participated in regional dialogue on human rights and health in Asia Pacific, ICAAP 12 , RRRAP summit conference held at Bangkok ,ILGA Asia and international AIDS conference 2018 (Amsterdam). Being a member of the solidarity circle group,she is also actively involved in identifying issues and raising voice for the issues faced by the Community. 

She has played an important role in drafting transgender protection act 2018 and provided support system by engaging her organization in drafting Trans protection act 2018.she is also working closely with the social protection authority and social welfare on the policy for the implementation of Trans protection act 2018.

Being an expert of transgender right movement she has developed an advocacy tool kit with clear action plan for 2020-2023 by considering some strategies and policy consideration to run the transgender movement strongly and to keep on track.

Moreover she is also working with National Aids government program for transgender people regarding the health services and providing them HIV/Aids services to reduce the HIV prevalence among community. And she has developed the policy/Guideline/SOPs along with the National Aids control program for the implementation of community based models.

Recently she got elected as an executive board member of ILGA Asia network (A network across Asia and pacific working for marginalized community rights movement) she got awarded with a community Hero Award to stands for HIV, Equality and Rights, for community the HERO Awards is symbol of acknowledging outstanding performance of HIV, and rights advocates and allies from across Asia and the Pacific.

In addition to that she has played an important role being a service provider during the COVID-19 outbreak situation. Being a director of a community based organization (Khawaja Sira Society) she puts down measures to protect our community and those who we are working with. She has opened up KSS (Khawaja Sira Society) as a space for community and PLHIVs as support system by developing some strategies in this pandemic situation COVID-19).

She has locally mobilized the resources from local NGOs, donors and working groups to have preventive tools and Food support for PLHIV and community in lock down situations to minimize the risk of COVID-19 pandemic among community and PLHIVs.

Spread awareness of good hygiene, preventive measures and of social distancing on social media accounts and on organization pages and responding community on it.

She is in touch with positive clients on the phone to know their ARVs status and to facilitate them in getting ARVs. And she spread the information about emergency cells for PLHIVs developed by NACP, PACP so that  they can have access through a helpline. She developed the IEC material as public service and awareness messages. And she has organized counselling sessions with the support of counselors to reduce the fear of the community to lose their lives in this pandemic situation.

Moon Ali
Pakistan