Kabul, Afghanistan: In celebration of International Migrants Day and to highlight the achievements of the Afghanistan Girls Robotics Team (AGRT), the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MORR) held a senior level showcase at Serena Hotel, Kabul.
Afghan Girls Robotics Team started in 2017 and has now grown to 50 members in Herat, supporting young women in developing and implementing their skills in the areas of the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. During the Covid-19 pandemic, AGRT started to develop an automated bag valve mask ventilation unit, an online computer game, a scanner and a UV machine, which harnesses light to kill viruses and germs in hospitals, work places and homes. The devices will help patients in treatment for Covid-19 and help prevent the spread of the virus. AGRT demonstrated these achievements at the event, with high level participation by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Ghoriani, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Majidi, the Deputy Minister of Public Health, Finance, Youth and Education and representatives of the parliament and government institutions.
AGRT is now looking for sponsorship to enable the production of these innovative tools and they highlighted in their speech that this could contribute to job creation in the Herat province and provide people with opportunities to develop their livelihoods in the country, rather than leaving to work abroad.
The Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) furthermore highlighted the cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on raising awareness on Covid-19 precautions through TV, radio and social media. These measures should especially help returnees and migrants in preventing the further spread of the virus. Celebrating International Migrants Day on 18 December, the MRC underlined the contributions Afghan migrants make to the development of the country through remittances and transfer of skills and knowledge. This event demonstrated the strength of joining forces and empowering Afghan youth.
