Breaking Barriers with Code: Roya Mahboob’s Fight for Girls in Tech

Roya Mahboob has demonstrated that revolution is not just necessary but also unstoppable in a society where women in technology are still viewed as revolutionary.

Roya was born in Herat, Afghanistan, and grew up in a culture that severely limited women's access to education and employment opportunities. Girls were supposed to keep quiet, be minor, and disappear from view.  Roya, however, had other ideas.

At 16, she became enthralled with computers for the first time. Gender was irrelevant to the screen.  Where she came from was not even a question in the code.  It just reacted to bravery, inventiveness, and curiosity.

One of the few women in her class, Roya pursued a degree in computer science with a great deal of tenacity.  She later founded the Afghan Citadel Software Company in 2010, making her one of the country's first female CEOs in the technology sector.  But she had much more in mind than just shattering glass ceilings for herself.

For hundreds of females who had been denied opportunities, she wished to open doors.

To teach more than 14,000 Afghan females digital literacy, coding, and entrepreneurship, Roya co-founded the nonprofit Digital Citizen Fund.

She gave them the skills to create apps, start businesses, and share their stories with the world in a nation where many girls were not even allowed to attend school.

Her mentoring of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, a group of young girls from Herat, garnered international attention in 2017 after they triumphed in international robotics competitions despite facing obstacles such as cultural hurdles, limited resources, and visa rejections.

Although their voyage won hearts all across the world, Roya saw it as more than just news stories.  It has to do with hope.

Roya's tenacity teaches us several things, including: 

Everything is altered by access.  In addition to teaching females how to code, Roya opened their eyes to a world that had hitherto avoided them.  Giving a girl access to the internet and motivation can help her create a future that no one anticipated.

Power comes from technology.  Make good use of it.   Technology gave Roya a voice in a world that sought to silence her.  She used it to tackle her nation's issues, one student and one line of code at a time, rather than just using it as a means of escape.

Others are lifted by true leadership.  When your achievement creates a platform for others to stand on, you've truly made an impact.  Roya created ladders for other females to climb in addition to her own accomplishments.

Resistance breeds courage.  Roya experienced pressure to resign, threats, and criticism.  But she didn't back down.  Her bravery serves as a reminder to all the girls in attendance that you don't need approval to change the world; all you need is persistence.

Even though Roya is currently living in exile as a result of the Taliban's return, she nevertheless carries out her purpose worldwide by introducing Afghan girls to digital opportunities, even from a distance.  For people whose dreams, even in the most dire circumstances, refuse to die, her art is a lifeline.

As we gear up to commemorate this year's International Girls in ICT Day, let Roya Mahboob's story serve as a reminder to us all that coding is more than simply a skill, it's a declaration of potential, a promise of change, and a form of defiance.