Female Robotics Team From Afghanistan Refused US Visas
Female Robotics Team From Afghanistan Refused US Visas
Female Robotics Team Refused US Visas
First posted: Jezabel, Forbes
A team of young women from Afghanistan have been refused visas to compete in First Global Challenge competition in the US capital Washington DC.
The 6 ambitious teenagers have created a ball sorting robot that they hoped would compete in the First Global Challenge which focuses on clean water access. The team was formed by The Digital Citizen Fund, an organization co-founded by Afghanistan’s first female tech CEO Roya Mahboob.
In their mission statement, Team Afghanistan laid out why they chose to compete:
We want to make a difference and most breakthroughs in science, technology, and other industries normally start with the dream of a child to do something great. We want to be that child and pursue our dreams to make a difference in people’s lives.
However, the womens dreams were put on hold when the US twice refused the teams application for a week-long travel visa to visit America.
“The first time [they were rejected] it was very difficult talking with the students,” Mahboob said. “They’re young and they were very upset.”
The US visa is famously hard to obtain, particularly for those applying from Afghanistan. In April 2017 only 32 visas were issued to Afghan citizens, which is extremely low compared to countries.