South Asia | Afghanistan | Science

Finally, visas in hand, Afghan girls depart for the U.S. and a global robotics competition

When Afghan 10th-grader Fatemeh Qaderian learned that her girls’ robotics team had been denied visas to attend an international competition in Washington — despite applying twice — the 14-year-old said she “lost hope.” “We worked hard and spent a lot of time,” said Qaderian, who flew back and forth with her teammates from their hometown in western Afghanistan to apply at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. “I called my parents and told them what happened, and they were upset, too.” Those emotions morphed into elation as Qaderian and her teammates boarded a plane at Kabul Interna

South Asia | Afghanistan | Technology

How Afghan women are making unprecedented strides in the technology sector, despite challenges

Source: DNA India

Earlier this month, on December 17, a vibrant group of young women, with the help of Twitter, congregated in Bengaluru to discuss new trends and potential of women influence in technology. A lot has been written on that, the participants of which are rightfully seen as influencers of women empowerment in the region. However, about 2,500 kilometres away, a much smaller gathering of female technology professionals came together to share their insights with young talented women, in a less likely setting—in the war-torn city of Kabul - for the TechWomen Summit. Young Afghan women, who were al

South Asia | Afghanistan | Society

Inside the heroic effort to bring the internet to young women in Afghanistan

Source: The Week

In a darkened room on a Saturday morning, a large group of students and teachers in Afghanistan line up to talk to me over Skype. Each one is eager to tell their personal story, describing ways computers have changed their lives. The young women speak almost-fluent English, and any questions that risk being lost in the language barrier are handled by a translator. Some girls tell me they will become accountants; another, a poet; at least one young woman says she wants to be a computer programmer. One common thread throughout the conversation relates to their personal, not educational, journ