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Coding schools write new future for Afghan girls

  • Shoshannah Richards
  • Jul 17, 2018
  • 3 min read

Youth across the world remain hungry for employment in the digital economy. Enter coding schools. They provide digital skills training and fast track students into employment. In Afghanistan, where barriers to the education of girls remain, coding schools offer much more.

PHOTO CREDIT: AngelHack

Take Code to Inspire. The extracurricular coding school teaches mobile app and web development, gaming, full-stack development and graphic design. Its graduates enter the employment pipeline with in-demand skills.

The school's mission is to build a generation of women ready, willing and able to code Afghanistan's future.

The conditions are ripe for change

Learning coding is by no means the only solution to breaking with Afghanistan’s four decades history of conflict. According to Code to Inspire Founder and CEO Fereshteh Forough, Afghan youth are "entrepreneurial, enthusiastic and anti-war." This young population is vital to Afghanistan's future development.

The alignment of global digital transformation with Afghanistan's emergence from war is an undeniable chance for youth to drive social change.

Afghanistan's youth are seizing this opportunity.

They blend tradition and digitalization to maximize impact. Forough decreases enrollment barriers by making Code to Inspire all-female, free, computer-equipped and internet-enabled. Lima Madomi, Program Coordinator of TechWomen Afghanistan, publicizes technology's benefits. She staged awareness-building events in Herat and Kabul in celebration of Girls in ICT Day 2018.

The power of virtual mobility

Madomi and Forough note that Afghan girls sometimes lack the freedom to study and work outside their hometown.

Digital skills training offers Afghan girls virtual professional mobility.

"The beauty of technology is that you don't necessarily have to be present to make a change. You can be anywhere and use these tools to empower other people around the world." – Fereshteh Forough, Founder & CEO, Code to Inspire

Forough coordinated 12 outsourcing projects involving over ten students. They work remotely doing web development, graphic design and mobile app development for individuals, companies and organizations.

An enterprising 12th-grade Code to Inspire student convinced a company to pay her for freelance web development. This young woman’s confidence on the job market is the result of what Forough believes is the main benefit of teaching girls to code – empowerment.

"When you say digital transformation, it's about how the digital knowledge that you gain in a traditional community, like Afghanistan, can be a way of raising awareness about women's capabilities." – Forough

Step-by-step change

Forough encounters students who arrive at Code to Inspire with no knowledge of technology. Over the course of the two-year program students transform into self-confident, skilled and marketable job candidates.

"I think the most important thing beside technical learning is how you change the minds of people in the community to the work of the students which is more valuable." – Forough

A new role in the family

Earning money online helps Afghan girls establish themselves as decision makers within their families. Forough explains: "When you bring money to the family, you're now part of the decision making process of the family."

Afghanistan's future

Change takes time. By targeting girls and young women, initiatives like Code to Inspire and Girls in ICT Day Afghanistan, signal the importance of investing in Afghan youth.

In Forough’s words, "When you have well-educated women, the next generation will be more educated and they will be more inclined towards peace rather than war."

By Shoshannah Richards, @starringshoshie. This post was originally published on ITU News. Visit ITU News to stay current on how the latest tech trends will impact sustainable development worldwide.

10 Comments


raju dada
raju dada
Jul 04

I found this guide very informative and practical. The explanations are simple, the content is organized, and the overall writing style keeps readers interested throughout. Thank you for sharing such helpful information. I’ll definitely bookmark this website because it’s a great place to find useful and well-written articles.

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toootaa1210r
Jun 16

Mình có lần lướt đọc mấy trao đổi trên mạng شيخ روحاني thì thấy nhắc nên cũng tò mò mở ra xem thử cho biết. Mình không tìm hiểu sâu جلب الحبيب chỉ xem qua trong thời gian ngắn để quan sát bố cục جلب الحبيب cách sắp xếp شيخ روحاني các mục và trình bày nội شيخ روحاني dung tổng thể. Cảm giác là các phần được trình bày khá gọn, các Berlinintim mục rõ ràng nên đọc lướt cũng không bị rối Berlinintim với mình như شيخ روحاني vậy là đủ để nắm tin cơ bản rồi. جلب الحبيب

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Lisa Charles
Lisa Charles
Apr 23

Really insightful and inspiring post — the way you highlighted how coding education is opening doors for Afghan girls was both powerful and thought-provoking. It’s encouraging to see how initiatives like these are not only teaching technical skills but also building confidence and independence in challenging environments. I recently came across a similar discussion on a review blog buy a degree, and it offered an interesting perspective on how alternative education pathways can reshape futures. Posts like this truly remind us how impactful access to education can be.

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James David Johny
James David Johny
Apr 01

This topic highlights an inspiring shift as coding schools empower Afghan girls with skills that can shape their futures. Access to technology education not only builds confidence but also opens doors to global opportunities, even in challenging environments. These programs are helping create independence, innovation, and hope for a new generation. Just as precision and skill are essential in USA digitizing for creating high-quality designs, learning coding requires dedication and accuracy. Supporting such initiatives can bring long-term social and economic change, giving young girls the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving digital world.


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