Prensa. voanews.com
Afghanistan's all-girl robotics team returned Saturday to Kabul after
its successful trip to Washington for the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge, and
several officials representing the presidential palace welcomed the girls home,
calling them role models.
In the ceremony, Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive of the national
unity government, said, "Despite the differences between the Afghan and
other teams, Afghan girls were able to achieve a silver medal." Abdullah
promised to facilitate their participation in future competitions.
Teenagers from around the world demonstrated their skills in designing,
building and programming robotic devices at the competition. The annual
international robotics event aims to build bridges between high school students
with different backgrounds, languages, religions and customs, and to ignite in
them a passion for the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics.
It took an intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump and other
officials to allow the girls of the Afghan robotics team to receive visas after
two rejections, letting them travel to the United States to participate in the
robotics event.
Team Afghanistan, from second from left, Kawsar Roshan, Lida Azizi,
Somayeh Faruqi and Rodaba Noori, next to a member of Team Australia, at left,
hug before their final round of competition at the FIRST Global Robotics
Challenge, July 18, 2017, in Washington. Team Afghanistan, from second from
left, Kawsar Roshan, Lida Azizi, Somayeh Faruqi and Rodaba Noori, next to a
member of Team Australia, at left, hug before their final round of competition
at the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge, July 18, 2017, in Washington.
Washington experience
One of their biggest surprises once in Washington? The tight security.
"The security that we see here is not in Herat, Afghanistan,"
team member Kawsar Roshan told VOA in Washington during the last day of the
competition. "This is a peaceful city. People are not fighting each other,
and it is a friendly environment," said team member Fatima Qaderian. Member
Lida Azizi said she learned "unity and teamwork" at the robotics
competition.
The team made it to Washington only a day before the event began. U.S.
Embassy in Kabul had refused their initial visa applications, but were granted
entry to the country after the intervention by high-level U.S. officials. On
Tuesday, Trump's eldest daughter and a senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, visited he
team and its sponsors. She had previously tweeted that she was looking forward
to welcoming them.
Ayub Khawreen of VOA's Afghan service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-chief-executive-welcomes-home-all-girl-robotics-team/3955033.html