All-Girl Afghan Robotics Team Finally Allowed to Compete in US

A team of six Afghan girls will finally be able to receive the U.S. visa for competing in an academic robotics competition in the United States, after being denied the visa twice. 

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"We were disappointed, and we were feeling bad, but now we are very happy that they have given us a chance to go," 14-year-old Fatemah Qaderyan, member of the team, told Reuters. 

Despite Afghanistan not being a part of the controversial 6- Muslim country ban list, the girls were denied the travel document to travel to Washington D.C.

The reversal reportedly came at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The team will be competing alongside 157 other nations in the FIRST Global Challenge, the first annual robotics competition aimed at inspiring the youth of the world to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Fatemah along with her five teammates arrived in the Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Thursday.

They are expecting to receive the travel documents soon for the event which is taking place between 16 and 18 July.

"We are so happy from the support of the Americans and Mr. Trump, and we thank them for providing us visas to allow us to travel and attend the competitions," she added.

Very often, Afghans struggle to get US visas. According to The Guardian, in May, only 112 Afghan applicants received the B1/B2 visa to the US that the girls applied for.

In the same period the US granted the same visa to 1,091 applicants from Iran and 274 from Sudan, both countries are now subject to Trump’s travel ban. 

Members of the all-girl team said they see the competition as a chance to help improve the patriarchal conditions in Afghanistan, where women and girls often face significant limitations in public and private life.

Rodaba Noori, 15, told The Guardian, "We will stay in the United States for about seven days. We will compare the cultures between the US and Afghanistan, and go sightseeing and talk to the people." 

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"Afghanistan is a war-torn country where it is difficult for women to improve," 15-year-old Lida Azizi told Reuters. "But now this is a big chance for us to attend in the competitions and also it’s good for our country."

The team is the first robotic team from Afghanistan is being supported by the Digital Citizen Fund, DCF, based in Herat, Afghanistan, a nonprofit that helps youth and young women in developing countries to gain access to technology.

Members from Gambia, Yemen, Libya, and Vanuatu will also be participating in the event.