Gulfam Ahmed, a wheelchair athlete, has time and again fought against all odds to come out victorious. Gulfam wants to represent India at the Asia Paralympics game in October, if he qualifies in the National Championship in March in Haryana, India.
Gulfam is a national-level para-athlete based out of Delhi. He contracted polio at a very young age. But, instead of bowing down to his limitations, he overcame them to achieve a tremendous feat in his life. Today, he has carved out a space for himself in the society and is constantly working to create a more suitable world filled with opportunities for people like him.
Gulfam has won 23 medals in various national- and state-level sports tournaments. Now he has set his aim to win a medal for India at the 2018 Asia Paralympics in the ‘Wheelchair Race’ category. He has already started his preparations towards the same cause. His efforts and commitment to uplift the specially-abled has brought him this far. But, to go to the next level, he requires your support in acquiring an advanced wheelchair, specifically designed for racing tournaments.
To participate in the next level and get the advanced wheelchair, a crowdfunding campaign on ImpactGuru.com was raised for Gulfam. So far, they have raised about ₹27,000, but are still short of their target of ₹1.6 lakhs.
For Gulfam, his father is a very big inspiration, who provides for him, despite their financial condition. Motivational speaker Nick Vujicic also inspires him. The biggest inspiration for him, however, is his physical disability and the corresponding perceptions about it. He says, “The fact that I was disabled created in me the desire to prove my physical ability. And the para-athletics was something where I could do it.”
Talking about the challenges he had to face, Gulfam says, “During my childhood, there wasn’t much awareness about games for the physically challenged. I was discouraged when I started playing. My father was also worried about how I would manage, away from home and the city. There were financial constraints too, and I had once sold my mobile phone to be able to play the game. The financial challenge is very much there at present too, and that is why I am crowdfunding to be able to represent India in one of the most important events in the Asian Paralympics.”
You can help Gulfam out by clicking here.