Out of the Shadows: Roya Mahboob on Defying the Taliban to Advance Women in Technology

Roya Mahboob was born into a society where, under the tyrannical rule of the Taliban, women were increasingly invisible in public life. As a young girl, she lost her baby sister because her mother couldn't take her to a doctor without a male escort. Roya grew up in an environment where women were made to believe that they could never reach their full potential. Roya's life dramatically changed when she discovered computer technology, or what she called "the magic box that connected you to the world." She is now a tech entrepreneur and women's education advocate, becoming one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People at the age of 25.

In this episode, we learn how Afghan women and girls are defying the odds of a patriarchal society, and the transformative power of STEM education to gain a foothold in one of the most conservative regimes in history.

Host Hazami Barmada (Activist and co-Executive Producer & Host of the Finding Humanity Podcast) in conversation with Roya Mahboob (Serial entrepreneur, CEO and President of Digital Citizen Fund); Featuring expert policy opinions from: Heather Barr (Acting Co-Director of Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch), Farangies Shah (Policy Advisor at Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission), and Mina Sharif (Civil Society Activist, TV and Radio Producer).

Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media. 

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