Fast Company: Afghanistan’s all-girl robotics team is building emergency ventilators out of car parts

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Even though Herat, Afghanistan, is on lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Nahid Rahimi’s days during the pandemic have started with a drive to a mechanic’s workshop. Nahid, 17, is on Afghanistan’s all-girls robotics team, named the Afghan Dreamers; her teammate Somaya Farqui’s father drives the girls, all between 14 and 17 years old, through the shuttered city to their technical adviser’s space, where they’re building ventilators from used car parts.

The Afghan Dreamers first garnered international attention when they were initially denied visas to the United States for the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge, a robotics competition held by FIRST Global, an international education program with teams in 191 countries and an annual season of events. Eventually the White House intervened, and the girls made it to the competition, where they won a medal for courageous achievement.

The team has continued to inspire its nation and the world since, participating in robotics competitions in Estonia, Poland, and Canada, partnering with Afghanistan’s government to build the country’s first STEAM school, and speaking at panels across the world. With the 2020 FIRST Robotics season suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the girls are now working on aiding their country’s response.



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