Angels of Pune: How Saheli has been empowering sex workers with dignity, healthcare and hope since 1998 For nearly three decades, Saheli has quietly worked to improve the lives of one of society’s most marginalised communities, sex workers. Founded in 1998, the Pune-based non-profit is unique because it is not just an organisation working for sex workers. It is a collective led by sex workers themselves. Its founders and board members belong to the community, ensuring that every initiative is shaped by lived experience rather than outside assumptions. Saheli was established when the HIV epidemic posed a serious threat to sex workers. The organisation initially focused on HIV prevention and awareness, but over the years its work has expanded to address almost every challenge faced by sex workers, their children, partners and families. Today, it provides support in reproductive and sexual health, family planning, safe abortion services, mental health counselling and community-based peer education. “The mission of Saheli is to empower sex workers through collectivisation,” says the organisation’s Executive Director Tejaswi Sevekari, who has been associated with the movement since 1995, even before Saheli was formally registered. The organisation believes that sex workers should have the right to organise, access healthcare and live with dignity. Read more: freepressjournal.in/amp/pune…