Unity Through Robotics: Afghan Girls Robotics Team

By Christine Leavitt

Violence and tragedy in Afghanistan have shaken the world during these last few weeks as the Taliban has returned to power. One of many concerns with the return of the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan is the future of girls’ education. Prior to 2001, girls in Afghanistan were denied the opportunity to go to school due to the Taliban’s belief that educating girls is against Islam. Many are concerned that the Taliban will reinstate its harsh policy of forbidding girls to go to school and punishing all who disobey.

Shutting down girls’ schools in Afghanistan will additionally crush many of the STEM programs that have engaged and inspired many Afghan girls. One of these programs is the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, also known as the Afghan Dreamers. This team formed in 2017 with about a dozen teenage girls, and it has grown to include over 20 members in recent years. This team made international headlines in 2017 when it needed presidential-granted visas to come to an international robotics competition in the United States due to a travel ban in place by the United States. These visas were ultimately granted to the Afghan Girls Robotics Team in time for the competition, and the team received an award for its “courageous achievement”.

During COVID-19, the Afghan Girls Robotics Team saw that there was a need for more ventilators in Afghanistan due to its low supply of ventilators, and reached out to MIT for help in building ventilators from scratch. Through the use of old car parts, the team successfully assembled ventilators to assist those suffering from COVID-19.

While the Taliban is stating that it will respect women’s rights, many of their actions and reports from the ground are showing otherwise. Kimberly Motley, a US Attorney who has represented the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, stated, “I'm talking to a lot of people on the ground [in Afghanistan] who are telling me how girls are being told at colleges, don't come back to school. Women are at their jobs, are saying they're being told, don't come back to work.” Motley is similarly concerned for the safety of the members of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team and their families, as the Taliban has been known to target publicly known women and their families. Mexico has recently granted some of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team a temporary visa to allow them to continue working towards their dreams of building low-cost medical ventilators and increasing other vitally needed hospital equipment to serve areas hit hard by the pandemic. Unfortunately, about half of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team is still in Afghanistan and living under the fear of retaliation at the hands of the Taliban, which brings me to question what is the future of education for girls in Afghanistan and will girls be able to continue participating in STEM programs?

There are many organizations that are working to support education for vulnerable girls internationally, such as those in Afghanistan, so let us support education for girls in all nations and make our voices heard in support around the world.

What ideas do you have for how we can support women and girls in their educational pursuits in Afghanistan and worldwide?

Written by:

Christine Leavitt

Graduate Research Assistant

Women and Gender Studies