Christmas is fast approaching! As you shop for family and friends, help educate women in Afghanistan. You can buy amazing gifts and donate to Code to Inspire at the same time by shopping through our Amazon Smile account. Click this link to set your Amazon Smile charity to Code to Inspire and contribute 0.5{1e5b5b8455e4fd0a501a0ba32c7b6cedbd9d99491662a4a0878218331661888d} of your purchase to our cause at no additional cost!

To learn more about our mission watch this interview with tech trailblazer and Code to Inspire’s founder, Fereshteh Forough.
Finally, last night, our founder, Fereshteh Forough was featured at the Young Women’s Honors televised event. You can watch a recap of her acceptance speech here (see 56:30 minutes in).

Thank you for your support this year in making 2016 the best year yet for CTI!

We have another interview of one of our amazing students. Read about Morsal’s time at CTI to see how much impact this school has on our students’ lives. This giving season please keep stories like Morsal’s in mind, with your help we are teaching the future of Afghanistan!       

• Why did you join Code to Inspire?

I joined “Code To Inspire” coding school because I have been interested in Cartoons since I was a child and I have always wished I could create cartoons myself. When I learned about CTI, I thought it would be the perfect place for my goals; a place where I can learn coding to create animations and cartoons.

• What do your family and friends think about you going to Code to Inspire?

Since I joined CTI, all my friends and family are supportive and proud of me. They are very delighted that I am learning coding in this school.  My mother knows that CTI will help my future. I have changed a lot since starting at CTI and everyone around me feels the change in me. My family is very grateful to CTI, mentors and the sponsors who are helping us to get an education.

• What have you learned and what experience have you gained since joining Code to Inspire?

The experience I got from CTI in one year is equal to 3 years of study at my high school: I am learning so much. CTI let me learn in a different way which I had not experienced before. I have found my way to the light. I have learned basic coding like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Bootstrap. I can develop simple Webpages.

• What do you hope for the future?

I believe that if I use what I have learned at CTI my future I can say I will make a lot of achievements and will be one of the best female web developers in Afghanistan.

My future dream:

I would love to learn advanced coding and become one of the most successful female coders in the world. Moreover, I would like go abroad in order to continue my studies using the opportunities and facilities there and return to my country to teach others.

You can follow her on Twitter and learn more about her daily activities here.

Today we would like to introduce you to one of talented students at CTI as a thank you for all we have raised funds over these past few weeks. She is one of the many young women who benefit from your continued support.

In addition we would like to thank fast company and TakePart video for coming to our school and sharing our story. At the end of the interview we have put links to both these stories.

• About myself and my family:

Name: Hasina

Hometown:Herat, Afghanistan

Age:20

• About my family:

My father is an architect. My mother teaches in a high school in Herat city. I have one brother and two sisters. My brother works in the international scholarship market through the internet. My sister is licentiate of the biology department.

• What do you hope to accomplish by attending CTI?

I attend the CTI center, because it is the best opportunity for improving my coding skills and carry out my ideas.

• What do you want to accomplish with coding?

In my opinion coding is the best starting point for improving new technology in Afghanistan. I want prove to world that Afghan girls are not afraid of impediments and we can be some of the best creators and most powerful programmers. I think we can solve the problems and deficiency of our society by using technology and coding.

• Why did you join CTI?

Before I started coding I had many ambitions that I thought would be impossible to turn into reality. But when I entered the world of virtualization and coding, it helped me to understand I could achieve a great deal with the vast world of technology. My dreams are starting to become reality. I found the areas of study  very limited at university especially if you want to really implement ideas.The majority of classes are too based theory. Through Code to Inspire, I have the chance to work in a place that values my thoughts and learning skills. I can use my coding skills to create something concrete.

• What Coding skills have you learned so far?

I have learned how develop 2D game and different applications for different computers and mobile platform by unity game engine. Also l have also learned C# programming.

• What do your family and friends think about CTI?

My parents and friends are very proud of me. They believe that through the skills I have learned at CTI I will be able to reach my goals. They are also proud that I continue to help my friends and stay positive. My parents say that when I am around  I lift everyone’s spirits.

Here is the link to the fabulous story about Code to Inspire by Adele Peters at Fast Company.

Watch this video to see how Code to Inspire is impacting its students and Afghanistan.

#GivingTuesday was a great success. All the donations, no matter how small, help our organization and help Code to Inspire’s students gain independence and education. Please continue to donate and share our message on social media. Every share and every penny counts!

We also had our first Annual Graduation Ceremony in New York on the 18th of November. So many people came to voice their support. Through the ticket sales alone we are able to pay for another year of education for providing Internet connection and keep our the coding school safe and warm during the winter time. For those of you who were not able to attend or would like to relive the fun, here are some photos. We hope to see you there next year!

We would like to thank the Afghan Ambassador, Hamdullah Mohib for coming to our event. 

Thanks to everyone who donated items to the silent auction.  Thank you again for your continued support!