I’m not sure how I’ve never heard of Roya Mahboob, Afganistan’s first female tech CEO, but then again I suppose I’m not too surprised.
After all, her work is changing the lives of girls and women in Afganistan and Mexico who don’t really have a voice currently in any media outlet.
This woman has a backbone made of steel, the determination of Superman and the empathy of the Dalai Llama. If you think you have a terrible life, you need to read this.
Whenever I think I have it bad, I go on a search to find people who are actually making a difference in the world.
I have the attention span of a gnat, so last week’s mission to help save the people of Venezuela has all but dried up, unfortunately in my brain. This is because I have the luxury of time and money, so I can entertain ideas without actually doing much of anything.
“If only I could stay focused on one topic, I could have saved the world by now.” -Stellabelle
I think I found Roya’s story because a woman named @Womeninaltcoin on Twitter had retweeted my story about Amanda B. Johnson. Whenever someone retweets my articles, I usually check out their other tweets in search of new information. Being an info addict has led me down the most amazing rabbit holes, so………on her wall I discovered a Cointelegraph article from 2014 about Roya. Oddly enough, it was written by our boy, Tone Vays.
You think we have it bad in the tech world? Well, most women still aren’t taken seriously in the tech field, but try having the Taliban breathing down your neck, sending you and your employees daily death threats. Roya’s story will definitely give you courage and provide you with enough inspiration to last a week (or less if you’re on the internet 24/7).
Someone give Roya a prize, right now.
Roya describes herself as a very curious person who always wanted to know what was happening outside her world. She explained that as an Afghan woman, she was only allowed to be in her home and taking care of her husband. She had no way to expand her mind.
Everything changed for Roya at 16 years old when she experienced her first taste of the internet.
From that day forward she was determined to have a career in technology. She studied Computer Science at college, graduated with a degree and began working in the IT field in Afganistan. She then created her own software company and hired a female workforce. She became Afganistan’s very first female Tech CEO.
But the Taliban weren’t having it.
They began to harass and stalk her employees and Roya received a lot of death threats, too. It got so bad that Roya found herself in a terrible state and she fled to the US. During her exile, she couldn’t forget that there were still millions of girls left behind as the rest of the world moved towards greater technological independence.
With that in mind, Roya started a nonprofit called the Digital Citizen Fund to give women access to technology and teach them how to use it. Technology opens up a world where women can realize financial independence — a vision for a better life and the tools to build that life for themselves. -Freethink
And as I was reading about Roya’s journey, I thought introducing Steemit to her organization would be a real moment in synergy. The goals of Steemit are aligned very closely with Roya’s vision of creating a future world filled with digital economic indepence and intellectual curiosity. The women who are learning about technology in Roya’s classes could greatly benefit from Steem’s built-in digital wallet, it’s focus on community building and the many opportunities to earn income. It’s a match made in heaven actually. I have requested to contact Roya and I will be sending her this article as well as a personal email. You can follow Roya on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoyaMahboob
This is a match just waiting to happen……
Thanks for reading.
Cheers to our future that is looking brighter every day and I hope that Roya’s students can join us soon on Steemit.com.
Non dank-memes,
Stellabelle
