[Music]
good afternoon ladies and gentlemen it’s
a real pleasure to be here today I grew
up in numerous Afghanistan and in my
childhood acres of this street that I
was grew up there was an empty plot of
the land one day on that empty plot of
the land Taliban collected all the books
and TV sets from the houses for an year
and set them on the fire only Islamic
books and a few other subject were
allowed the message was clear only our
ideas matter only we matter
the Taliban rule from my window I saw
the ideas dreams and freedom applause
with the sect of the match these books
distel vision my only window to the
outside world Tran – – first fire and
then darkness my heart broke and then I
become angry on that day I learned some
things that become the Catholics for
rest of my life
anger is a gift a gift of fire a gift
that it burns brightly enough it can
change the world and for me it’s led me
to discover the fire inside of me the
fire of my imagination it took me a
while to climb this fire inside of me
but over of the time I Glamis off
several times dream during my childhood
Afghanistan had no a great TV show but
with the help of VCR we could watch the
Bollywood and our cartoons and reaches
tips it was an escape to the dream world
that sufficiency was prettier than the
life under the Taliban rule it opened my
mind to outside the world but
where the TV sits on the fire and the
books turns to – we didn’t had much to
do we were confined to other houses
until it wasn’t a jail but I feel like a
joke
woman girls in Afghanistan well at that
time were not allowed outside without
male guardian and his social interaction
could only happen in the houses that was
separated with the big walls sometimes
we whisper to each other
carefully we told each other about our
secrets and fear sometimes we also share
our light in darkness Reagan the Taliban
loves the darkness the darkness was the
I’m keeping children ignorant was a
dream no access to outside the world was
the plan no critical thinking was the
goal what is dude for the truth was
award that came from the father from the
mala and from the teachers all by the
nature conservative stamina evading a
culture that keep all of us in the
darkness yes
always keep in the darkness but for the
girls it was even worse the Taliban took
over Afghanistan which participated to
destroy all the girls schools and what
it was remind it was a nightmare
the girls been washing – getting
marriage at a young age and soon after
the marriage they realized that they are
struggling to survive a very different
very limited and dark life because of
all this devastation in my young life I
began to imagine that in the future
someday I would have some things smaller
than TV but I could watch my cartoon I
dream that I would have a books that you
could read and it would quickly
could be disappeared many years later I
now know that the topless and cellphones
make my dream to become through the
Taliban had our life in captivity but my
childhood imagination gave me wings to
fly my little mind never would have
stopped traveling to the beautiful
imaginary place that there was no Talib
a place is that magic was happening and
you are free to do what you wanted I
dream to have those kind of magical
books that take you to the places and
teach you and they would be disappear my
journey to understanding technology
I started through my own imagination I
grew up in Iran as an Afghan refugee I
knew what the color TV was and I started
having education and early age we
written back to Afghanistan but this
time to Herat and all this happened I
found it was very difficult for me to
accept one way of dreaming to become
nothing but someone’s wife but
everything was changed in 2003 an
internet cafe opened up in Herat that
only my brother and cousin would go
there a good girl wouldn’t walk him I
was told that in this internet cafe
there is a machine box or I always call
it magical box that connects you to the
world I was a shy person that who always
dreamed to be a confident I think that
the first time that I was demonstrated
my confidence was the time that I was
insisted to go to this internet cafe and
see these things that people call it
internet I refuse to give up my dream
one day I was walking before the opening
hearts and there the internet did
mention that I always heard an Imagine
appears that
my life was changed I start using this
merchandise that connected you to the
world and soon I started chatting with
the people everywhere and this is how I
learned my English during my chatting my
whole world opened up and I feels like
alive I became more confident and all I
wanted is to learn everything so they
could about this technology and they
stay connected to the world at the age
of 16 it had become clear to me if I
want to change bring change in my life I
have to imagine what is possible and
increase my knowledge time change enough
for me to go to the University and I
select from there science as my felt
after graduation I took a job at
university as a IT coordinator later on
I start my own software dooming company
and I heard a lot of the woman as a
blogger and programmers I became the
first tech female CEO in Afghanistan
then I started what is truly possible to
make technology its lead me to think to
giving the girls access technology has
led me to start additional some fun a
nonprofit organization that give access
to opportunities and take education for
the girls and women in developing
countries this day if I start with one
goal and one dream with a Google to see
technology as an accessible option for
everyone but a dream that everyone even
those who are living in conservative
countries they have access to
opportunities and education no matter
their gender or social status yes it may
seems like a big goal but if we do not
have a courage to dream different
nothing will ever change
when we imagine a different future for a
young woman and children all around of
the world then we have the power to do
what is necessary to affect those
changes at my own journey at 16 years
old me would never thought that one day
I can live in New York City and run as a
CEO of digital zoom font so how can we
change our world if I could give a piece
of advice to every young woman and girls
who are struggling to imagine a better
future for themselves I would say first
you have the power of imagination that
no one can take from you imagine that
you can make your own future and set
your own goals to be the person you
always want to be you have the power to
imagine yourself as an independent
person you have the real power to sit
and achieve the goals to be the person
you always imagined to be second
imagination is a key to the future the
secret that unlock potential is the
first and base of all video and created
knowledge is necessary for real
education and grooves but imagination is
a key to the knowledge finally the more
we dream the more we know the more we
know the more we can do imagination and
knowledge can getting give meaning from
each other and grew as they are full
feet tear each other nearly who loved my
life I have imagined a better life for
the girls a year ago I was asked to
facilitate a group of Afghan robotic to
come to first international global
challenge in Washington DC in
international robotic contents for
Tunisia and I thought why not to make
this all-girl team it would definitely
send a message to the world and the
women and girls in Afghan
son so I put an exam from 150 students
and 20 selected but many of these girls
didn’t had their parents permission and
those who hide the parents permission
they ask me what is the robot you can
realize that my choice getting through
is limited we ended up to select six
girls who had both their parents
Parisian and they had a knowledge of
robot but none of them had a visa to
come to United States and especially
with the new administration’s rules
getting the visa is getting very very
difficult they were denied two times but
we didn’t get this far too quiet
we persisted we went to the media we got
the attention of the people they got the
addition of senators and we got
attention of 53 congressmen who signed a
petition for us at the last minute we
got that Asian of the White House at
very very last minute president ram
graciously granted a visa to the girl 14
years old
fatima podrían she is the capital of the
robotic team she recalls when she was 6
years old and I think she was watching a
cartoon of a robot and she keep asking
how is that possible today she knows her
answer these girls had found their
passion at the robotic competition
deposit of all the challenges in
communication in English these girls
learned so much they were right at home
with everything that was happening to
them they won’t second middle and they
talk home with them the civil medal for
courage achievement they received a hero
returns and honored by prison money and
first lady of Afghanistan
this was a victory a vision of hope for
a country that for centuries ignored the
woman’s ability and the science and many
other industries mission accomplished
and my sixth and hopefully it was
received by all laughing girls who are
convened with the Taliban culture
imagination is powerful dream big in a
modern country all of about wouldn’t
much mean but for women in Afghanistan
this girl came a long way
they are the first generation of Afghan
women who get an education that inspire
them to dream a better life a life that
they can learn about technology and
represented to your country anywhere in
21st centuries today the CAF has trained
ten thousands of the girls in
Afghanistan we invest 20 to $30 to each
of these girls to see more than 100 of
them grow to become entrepreneur by
themselves taking your life into your
own hand and helping other women and
girls lead of life of choice and never
before imagined possibilities some of
them they made in your own product and
some of them improve the existing
product 68% of the product in
Afghanistan are imported and they are
not produced locally we are trying to
make change there are endless
possibilities in 2017 visual cellphone
helped 100 women startups and in 2018 we
are going to showcase all this project
and products in our biggest conference
in technology innovation and interpreter
she as part of our New Year’s
celebration for example 17 years old
pass baby
she’s protocol founder of a start-up of
making handicraft like bags and carpet
an age of 17 she has 25 people world for
her she gives $4,000 as a donation to
her school to help progress of
technology she is one of the shining
example today half of the population in
Afghanistan are teenagers all we want is
to ensure that Afghanistan in the eyes
of the next generation and next 20 years
is a country of source high tag rather
than a country of throat and war just
imagine when a girl a woman decided to
expand her knowledge and change her life
at the beginning she’s not taking
seriously when I start going to the
internet cafe every day at age of 16 my
parent taught it was a face and my
brother by getting into my room when my
first time I show my practical project
my brother taught that I was out of the
controls and my father was respectable
and I told my father the reason I get
this – the reason that I get to this
it’s because I am like him he gave me
his blessing and he told everybody that
he trusts me as Trust goes both ways
I keep him in for step by step and never
keep a secret from him and he believed
in me every child is born with an
imagination that grants the power to
unlock a world where anything is
possible the greatest dream is thought
from a thought of maybe just maybe
things don’t always be like this way
what happened to me and what I’m
commitment to do for every young woman
and girls that day who needs a date
it’s to bedroll
the carton of ignorance and given access
this change that before would have
seemed impossible today I know this once
imagination is unlock the hard-working
is required to bring the change and if
you are willing to do that
hard-working then you will be a time
that you will need to fight for what you
want to be but no matter what never lose
and trust in yourself I am real motto
and I Paul and I believe on the power of
imagination don’t tell the girls that
they can if you give them an opportunity
they can and to every girl and to every
woman I would say don’t give up say yes
to opportunities keep your fire burning
bright and always believe that because you are here a better world is possible