The Afghan girls building robots, and hope, at home

Computer science students whose studies were cut short by the Taliban speak to Mukhtar Wafayee about their venture

- By Mukhtar Wafayee

In the sweltering heat of Kabul, a group of young women, who have been barred from higher education for the past three years, gather in one of their homes to work on a new project. Calling themselves Voices of Hope, the group's members are former computer science students who refuse to abandon their pursuit of knowledge, despite the Taliban's sweeping ban on female education.

They are using the internet and artificial intelligence to reconnect with the subject they once studied at university. In a country where even a walk in the park is off limits for them, they have created their own community of learners behind closed doors.

Their education was interrupted in December 2022, when a Taliban ban forced them to abandon their studies. The young women were all in their second semester of computer science studies at a private Afghan university. Initially, they clung to the hope that public outrage and international pressure might prompt the regime to reverse its decision. Instead, the Taliban, who had seized power in 2021, issued even harsher decrees, further tightening restrictions on women and making their lives even more difficult.

Asrar Parsa, the 25-year-old leader of Voices of Hope, told Independent Persian that the university ban caused a wave of despair. But she and 20 of her classmates decided to keep going, turning to online educational resources to continue studying at home.

Since then, the team has taken on several projects in a desire to learn, grow and keep dreams alive. Among the achievements are building two robots from scratch. They cost about 30,000 Afghanis (roughly $430 or £330) to build, paid for by the group members themselves.