Fatima Kiran, a football coach, had always been held back by social pressure and financial problems. All she needed was the opportunity to impart her knowledge to passionate young girls. Through struggle and hard work, Fatima started working at SMB Fatima Jinnah School in 2010 as a sports teacher and got a ‘D license’ in football coaching in 2012. She eventually became part of DOSTI in 2013, playing an essential role in the project where she helped countless girls understand the importance of teamwork and hard work through her sports coaching.
The DOSTI programme was all she needed to realize her potential, and harness her skills to help children be successful in their lives.
“Through classroom sessions I learned how to resolve the conflicts in a more structured and logical way.”
Kiran taught her students important skills and lessons by inspiring and supporting them rather than managing them. Her method proved successful as Fatima led her team into the Karachi United Schools Championship tournament and won the championship against teams from some of the best schools in Karachi. Kiran recalls giving her girls the final speech.
“They all looked up to me, these young girls who put their entire trust in me, had I not gone through the DOSTI project, I would have stood there silently not being able to live up to their expectations of a coach. We competed with teams like the Karachi Grammar School and Lyceum, the schools; the SMB girls only dreamed to be part of. After winning the tournament, perhaps it occurred to them that with the right attitude anything was possible regardless of where you came from.”