Afghan women turn to online courses as the Taliban bans education

San Francisco Chronicle​

6 days ago

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — One after the other, the opportunities vanished. Like so many other Afghan women, Sodaba could do little but watch as her country's new Taliban government imposed a stranglehold on women's lives.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, and quickly set about implementing a dizzying array of restrictions for women: No visiting parks or gyms, no eating in restaurants, no working, except in very few professions.
But one of the cruelest blows for the pharmacology student was the ban on education beyond primary school.
Pushed by necessity, she went online. And there, she found hope: a free computer coding course for women in Afghanistan. Taught in her own language, Dari, by a young Afghan refugee living half a world away, in Greece.
'I believe a person should not be (bowed) by circumstance, but should grow and get their dreams through every possible way,' Sodaba said. She began learning computer programming and website development.
The new skills 'helped me regain my confidence and clarity in my direction,' said the 24-year-old, who asked to be identified by her first name only for safety reasons due to the education ban. 'I am so happy to be part of this journey.'
The courses are part of Afghan Geeks, a company created by Murtaza Jafari, now 25, who arrived in Greece on a boat from Turkey years ago as a teenage refugee.
'I had no idea … Like zero zero'
While living in a shelter in Athens after he arrived, Jafari received help from a teacher to enroll in a computer coding course. He knew nothing about computers — not even how to switch one on — didn't know what coding was and didn't speak a word of English, essential for computer programming.
'I had no idea about English. No idea, like zero zero,' he said. 'And I was trying at the same time to learn Greek, learn English and then also learn computer. … It was super difficult for me.'
But several months later, he earned his certificate.
Coding opened up a new world. A couple of years ago, he set up Afghan Geeks.
Paying it forward
Jafari said he started providing online courses last December to help women in his homeland, and as an expression of gratitude for the help he received as a youngster alone in a foreign country.
'The main goal was to give back to the community, especially to the Afghan women, what I had received from the other people for free,' he said, sitting in his sparse one-room flat in downtown Athens.
'I think … sharing knowledge is what makes a real difference to someone,' he said. 'And if I share it, it just goes and expands, and then there's more people to learn things.'
Jafari now has 28 female students in Afghanistan in three classes: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Aside from teaching, he also mentors his students in finding online internships and jobs using their new skills. For women in a country where nearly all professions are banned, the opportunity for online work is a lifeline.
The most qualified join his team at Afghan Geeks, which also offers website development and chatbot creation services. He now has several clients, he said, from Afghanistan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
'Those clients were happy that they are contributing in a meaningful goal. So the goal was to support women. … And that's why they keep coming back for other projects that they have,' Jafari said.
Although he's been teaching his students for seven months, Jafari has never seen their faces. He asks how they are and what the situation is in Afghanistan, 'but I've never asked them to open their cameras or to share their profile, to share the image. I've never done that. I don't want to do it, because I respect their culture, their choice.'
The online academy
With the Taliban government's restrictions increasingly confining women to their homes, and going as far as officially banning women's voices and bare faces in public, the web has opened a new world of possibilities for women in Afghanistan.
A year and a half ago, Zuhal, a young Afghan woman whose dream of going to university was shattered, partnered with a university professor to launch an online academy for women.
What began as a team of five people now has a crew of 150 teachers and administrators, and more than 4,000 students, she said.
'We are all working voluntarily with no salary, no support,' said the 20-year-old, who uses a nickname for fear of reprisals after receiving threats over the academy. 'Our only aim or goal is to provide free education for girls and to enhance research in Afghanistan.'
The academy, Vision Online University, now runs courses in a range of subjects, from psychology and foreign languages to Quranic studies, nursing and public speaking, among others.
When the education ban came into effect, 'I was depressed because nothing was available. There was no school, no university, no courses. And that really affected me,' said Zuhal.
'Then I thought (to) myself that this is not the solution. If I get depressed, that will not be helpful, not for me and not for other girls.' She decided 'that I shouldn't give up. I should do something for girls of my country.'
Now she also pursues a degree in computer science through an American online university, the University of the People.
It's tough, she said. With no funding, the academy for women can't pay for premium online services that allow large group meetings. She herself often struggles to afford her internet service.
'But I'm doing it because I have a goal," she said. "And my goal is to support girls. If I stop it, more than 4,000 or 5,000 girls will be depressed again.'