Code To Inspire, a non-profit organisation committed to teach Afghan women how to code and find future employment as freelance workers, launched a fundraising campaign to establish a programming centre in Herat.

This lab is going to be the “first coding centre of women for women by women in Afghanistan”. Code To Inspire is motivated by desire to help Afghan women make a career in programming as freelancers so they can stay independent from any geographical or physical barriers. The main goal of the programme is to improve girls’ digital literacy by teaching them how to code and provide them with the necessary skills and competences for future work. Code To Inspire believes that the educational programme will increase girls’ self-esteem and help them change their lives for the better.

The programme also aims to inform female students on using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to overcome financial barriers. Fereshteh Forough, the founder and CEO of Code to Inspire, sees digital currencies as “an amazing and empowering tool” helping women to stay financially independent.

Code To Inspire also aims to create job opportunities for young women to be hired as freelancers online. “They come online, they work online, and they get paid online,” states Fereshteh Forough.

Fifty girls aged 15 to 25 from different educational backgrounds will be joining the the one-year programme. Code To Inspire provides the students with laptops, books and other equipment for a comfortable educational environment. Four tutors will supervise the girls’ educational process. The students will have to propose a problem and develop a software product as a solution.

This educational initiative can be a promising opportunity for girls in a country where about 85% of women have no formal education and are illiterate and only 15% are involved in economic activities. In 11 days Code To Inspire’s campaign has raised $4,895 out of $20,000 USD needed for the lab equipment and tutors’ fees.

Fereshteh Forough, a great enthusiast in female digital education, received a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from Herat University in Afghanistan and a Master’s degree from Technical University of Berlin in Germany.

Daria Petushkova