Dharavi's 21-year-old football star will soon train other girls in slums to teach the sport
Gulafsha Ansari in Mahim. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Gulafsha Ansari in Mahim. Pic/Suresh Karkera
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Dharavi's 21-year-old football star Gulafsha Ansari is not one to rest on her laurels. After participating at the 2010 FIFA World Cup's Football for Hope and representing Maharashtra at numerous national tournaments, Ansari will now train mentors at the OSCAR Foundation, an NGO, which she has been working with for the last three years.
"It's a big leap for me. Training a mentor means I will train girls who will go on to mentor others. This way, there is decentralisation and awareness at the same time," she says.
As a mentor trainer, Gulafsha will help girls from the slums realise their potential. "There are 20 girls. Not everyone will end up becoming coach, but they will at least look beyond marriage and home. Parents now send their children to me thinking they will also travel the world like me. Whatever the reason, the girls are stepping out of their homes, which is the objective," said Gulafsha, who has a D-Licence, which is a certified football coaching licence.
Growing up in a family where girls are married off at 16, Gulfasha had to put up a tough fight. "My relatives and family members would often taunt me about wearing shorts and playing football. Even though my sisters were married off early, I'm glad that looking at my passion, my parents let me play and stand on my own feet," she says.
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