Afghan All-Women Robotics Team Fights Inequality Through Games

Remember the Afghan all-girls robotics team which was initially denied entry to the US and then it won at the biggest robotics festival in Europe? There’s no stopping the girls now. What's more is that there are 20 more young women like them fighting inequality in the western city of Herat.

Afghanistan's first generation of female coders is making a mark in the technology enhanced world with their abilities as game-makers. They uploaded more than 20 games on digital app stores this year, Reuters reported. The girls majored in computer and building apps. And, guess what? They could easily track down bugs in computer codes.

"Coders can work from home and it is in this process that women are building a new career path for themselves and for the next generation," said Hasib Rasa, project manager of Code to Inspire, which teaches female students coding in Herat.

The all-female team has developed a game that portrays the scourge of opium cultivation and the challenges the  Afghan security forces face in fighting it. The 2D game is called "Fight Against Opium"

It is an animated interpretation of the missions Afghan soldiers undertake to destroy opium fields, fight druglords and help farmers switch to growing saffron.

Also Read: Women in Afghanistan work towards a better life

"We have illustrated our country's main problem through a game," said Khatira Mohammadi, a student and one of the brains behind developing the anti-opium game.

Mohammadi’s institute is now home to more than 90 girls and young women who are training in coding and software development. This is a progressive move since Afghanistan is known to be a conservative country where women pursuing coding get sidelined by their male counterparts.

You women are truly inspirational. Keep the swag on!

READ: Changing Kids Education With Robotics- Aditi Prasad, Robotix Learning Solutions

Feature Image Credit: Reuters

Read More Stories By Ria Das