Story Of Noori Saleem, A Transgender Mother, Who Changed Lives Of 300 HIV+ Children

Meet Noori Saleem, a trans-woman from Ramanathapuram, a town in Tamil Nadu. At the age of 13, she fled from home as her father and his family tortured her and didn't accept the way she was. Bread and butter came from blessing others at their weddings, birthdays and births of children. But things slowly became difficult as it wasn't a permanent solution. Noori wanted to take up a decent job for herself and make ends meet but because of her identity she was denied basic necessities at every step. This resulted in her taking up odd jobs for survival. She became a sex worker as she was left with no choice. Later, at the age of 34, Noori Saleem got to know that she was HIV+. Despite all the hardships, Noori Saleem became a beacon of hope for more than 300 children, who were born with HIV and abandoned. Today she is fondly called 'Amma' by them. This is her story