Afghan teenagers who abandoned Taliban families in a dream of becoming engineers

These teenagers were supposed to be Afghanistan's future. At 15 to 18, they have already invented life - saving devices.

Just a few months ago, their robotics team was entering international competitions with their inventions from a landmine detector to a low-cost fan made from parts of cars during the pandemic.

Last week they have proved that they are as strong as they are talented.

When the Taliban took over the province of Hera, their journey to a new life began. First Kabul, then Qatar. They still do not know which country will eventually be their new home, but when I asked them if they had preference, the level was low wherever there was security and they could continue their schooling.

In the same uniforms, they spoke quietly as they presented themselves. He courageously describes how they left their families at home so that they could continue competing abroad to pursue their dream of becoming an engineer.

But as many escaped Afghans I met in Qatar, once they start talking about home, they're touched. What happened last week has been traumatic for many. And you feel it everywhere.

“were miserable circumstances for us. We left our family.” Nahid Rahim begins to cry at the mention of the word family. And it was very difficult for us because our family is there. And our country is destroyed. ”

“We really thought we should go,” says Sadaf Hadimi. Because we had no choice. Our service to our country is to be educated. ”

Qatar has evacuated hundreds of students in recent days mainly young women and girls. All those I have met have said they have fled to protect their access to education.

Afghan women are terrified of the loss of hard - earned freedoms under Taliban education, career, who can wear whatever they want, associate with whom they want.

I pressured the Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen over what they have to lose under their rule.
“They won't lose anything. Only those with no slices, they'll have to wear slices. You shouldn't impose your culture on us, and neither should we.

For now, the teachers have returned to work. They haven't lost anything. Journalists. I mean female journalists. They've resumed work. They haven't lost anything. ”

Of course some television reporters have been seen on the air last week. But we've heard reports of closing girls' schools in other provinces, that women and girls are told to stay at home or that they are too afraid to go out.

Another group of students evacuated to Doha described how the Taliban took control of their campus in Kabul. Despite the assurances that Taliban are protecting their university, they have felt too scared to leave the country so that they could study in other safe places.

They were born the year the Taliban fell, but they are all well aware of their fragile freedoms.

They're saying these things, but I know, my family, all the people know what they did 20 years and what they're doing now. They're not letting girls go to work, go to gyms, have fun and other things “