Bored of male heroes, Afghan girl coders build their own champions

Afghan students attending a class at the Code to Inspire school in Herat. A team of women coders in patriarchal Afghanistan wants girls to overcome the many obstacles they face. — AFP

HERAT, Afghanistan: Like the princess who hops over goblins and throws daggers at evil wizards in the videogame they built, a team of women coders in patriarchal Afghanistan wants to inspire a generation of girls to smash obstacles.

The young women are part of an after-school training programme called Code to Inspire in the western city of Herat, where they learn tech skills and create games and apps to educate girls across Afghanistan and beyond.