Women of Afghan Robotics Team to Get Support from Qatar
2021-09-13
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1Qatar has given scholarships to members of a female robotics team from Afghanistan, the nation's education and science organization said on Tuesday.
2The team has been called the "Afghan Dreamers" and includes young scientists from ages 14 to 17.
3Qatar has been helping with the efforts to take Afghans and foreigners who face risks in Afghanistan out of the country from Kabul airport.
4Those people include members of the robotics team.
5They are staying in housing at Doha's Education City area of schools and universities.
6In a statement, the Qatar Foundation said the young women will be able to continue their studies "through a partnership between Qatar Foundation and Qatar Fund for Development."
7The team of high school students has about 20 members, mostly in their teenage years.
8They are now living in several places with some in Qatar and some in Mexico.
9The young women were in the news in 2017 because they could not get travel documents to take part in a robotics competition in Washington D.C.
10They were permitted to travel when then-President Donald Trump urged the State Department to make it possible.
11Last year, they worked to build a low-cost medical ventilator from car parts.
12A ventilator is a machine that helps very sick people breathe.
13Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani is vice-chairwoman and chief executive of the Qatar Foundation.
14She said, "These talented, creative students have been living through a time of uncertainty and upheaval, and at Qatar Foundation we want to do whatever we can.
15By providing them with scholarships to study at Education City, their education can now continue uninterrupted."
16She added that the foundation was learning about the young scientists' needs to decide on the right schools or pre-university programs for them.
17The Taliban's seizure of power has caused some people to flee the country.
18Many Afghans fear a return to the severe Islamic law the Taliban enforced during the group's rule from 1996 to 2001.
19U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with several members of the team recently during a visit to Qatar.
20"You're famous around the world and a source of inspiration," he told them.
21Their story about the importance of women taking part in scientific work "sends an important message around the world, well beyond Afghanistan," he added.
22Roya Mahboob is the founder of the Digital Citizen Fund, the parent organization of the team.
23She said the young women were "excited and grateful for this opportunity."
24Several other members of the robotics team have been moved to Mexico.
25They were not identified for security reasons.
26The Associated Press reported one team member saying the team was grateful to Mexico "for saving our lives."
27She said thanks to Mexico's actions, "our story will not end in a sad way" because of the Taliban.
28I'm Jill Robbins.
1Qatar has given scholarships to members of a female robotics team from Afghanistan, the nation's education and science organization said on Tuesday. The team has been called the "Afghan Dreamers" and includes young scientists from ages 14 to 17. 2Qatar has been helping with the efforts to take Afghans and foreigners who face risks in Afghanistan out of the country from Kabul airport. Those people include members of the robotics team. They are staying in housing at Doha's Education City area of schools and universities. 3In a statement, the Qatar Foundation said the young women will be able to continue their studies "through a partnership between Qatar Foundation and Qatar Fund for Development." 4The team of high school students has about 20 members, mostly in their teenage years. They are now living in several places with some in Qatar and some in Mexico. 5The young women were in the news in 2017 because they could not get travel documents to take part in a robotics competition in Washington D.C. They were permitted to travel when then-President Donald Trump urged the State Department to make it possible. 6Working to improve medical care 7Last year, they worked to build a low-cost medical ventilator from car parts. A ventilator is a machine that helps very sick people breathe. 8Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani is vice-chairwoman and chief executive of the Qatar Foundation. She said, "These talented, creative students have been living through a time of uncertainty and upheaval, and at Qatar Foundation we want to do whatever we can. By providing them with scholarships to study at Education City, their education can now continue uninterrupted." 9She added that the foundation was learning about the young scientists' needs to decide on the right schools or pre-university programs for them. 10The Taliban's seizure of power has caused some people to flee the country. Many Afghans fear a return to the severe Islamic law the Taliban enforced during the group's rule from 1996 to 2001. 11An inspiration 12U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with several members of the team recently during a visit to Qatar. 13"You're famous around the world and a source of inspiration," he told them. Their story about the importance of women taking part in scientific work "sends an important message around the world, well beyond Afghanistan," he added. 14Roya Mahboob is the founder of the Digital Citizen Fund, the parent organization of the team. She said the young women were "excited and grateful for this opportunity." 15Several other members of the robotics team have been moved to Mexico. They were not identified for security reasons. The Associated Press reported one team member saying the team was grateful to Mexico "for saving our lives." She said thanks to Mexico's actions, "our story will not end in a sad way" because of the Taliban. 16I'm Jill Robbins. 17Jill Robbins adapted this story from VOA News for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18_________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20scholarship - n. payment for schooling 21talented -adj. having a special ability to do something well : having talent 22upheaval - n. a major change or period of change that causes a lot of conflict, confusion, or anger 23uninterrupted -adj. not stopped or block; permitted to continue 24inspiration - n. a person, place, experience, or the like that makes someone want to do or create something 25grateful - adj. feeling or showing thanks 26What do you think of Qatar's offer to help the robotics team? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.