Real Women, Incredible Lives: Converting Every Hurdle into Opportunity

Gulafsha Khan's family was one of the several families evicted from the slums in Nizammudin in 2001, and was forced to resettle in Bhalswa, a colony often described as Delhi's largest dumping ground. Furthermore, her father's dwindling earnings forced him to shut down his business and the family of eight was struggling to make ends meet. But the struggle didn't dampen Gulafsha's enthusiasm. This 19-year-old girl, who travelled for 40 kms just to write her exams, started taking home tuitions to finance her education and support her family. Today, Gulafsha works with a firm that encourages girls from the Muslim community to enroll themselves in school, and also devotes a part of her time to an NGO that aims to drive change in the fields of education, health and hygiene. A student herself, Gulafsha is now a teacher, a mentor, and a guide to over 50 children at Magic Bus.