Fereshteh Forough is the founder and CEO of Code to Inspire, a coding school for girls in Afghanistan. She discusses her background as a refugee, how she uses crypto to fund the school and pay students, and how the US military’s departure has affected student life. Topics include:

• Fereshteh’s journey from refugee to computer science professor to founder and CEO of Code to Inspire
• what Code to Inspire offers to young Afghan women and what risks they take by getting an education
• how Code to Inspire success stories are changing the attitudes of student’s families and communities
• the importance of Afghan Hero Girl, a video game created by Code to Inspire students
• why crypto payments are a better alternative to PayPal and Western Union for Code to Inspire and its students
• how Code to Inspire and its students exchange crypto to fiat
• what the perception of crypto is in Afghanistan
• how the Taliban is stifling the education of women and how Code to Inspire is attempting to continue its curriculum
• how crypto companies can offer assistance to Code to Inspire
• what features and products Fereshteh thinks would the crypto industry actually bank the unbanked
• how listeners can help Code to Inspire and where to find more information on Fereshteh

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Episode Links

Fereshteh Forough

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/f_forough
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fereshtehforough/

Code to Inspire

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codetoinspire/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CodeToInspire
• Website: https://www.codetoinspire.org/
• Donating crypto: https://www.codetoinspire.org/donate-crypto/
• Services offered:
• • https://www.codetoinspire.org/hire-a-cti-graduate/

Code to Inspire Coverage

• Forbes
• • https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/08/17/taliban-resurgence-could-threaten-afghan-school-teaching-women-to-code-and-build-ethereum-apps/?sh=465a8208197d
• The Giving Block
• • https://thegivingblock.com/donate/Code-to-Inspire/
• Code to Inspire students are coding at home
• • https://cointelegraph.com/news/amid-taliban-takeover-aspiring-crypto-miner-flees-afghanistan
• CoinDesk on Code to Inspire + ETH
• • https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2018/06/12/forget-prices-ethereum-is-offering-a-different-value-in-afghanistan/
• Coinbase
• • https://blog.coinbase.com/fereshteh-forough-interview-1e73a684788f
• Inverse
• • https://www.inverse.com/innovation/57129-fereshteh-forough-afghanistan-bitcoin
• Afghan Hero Girls
• • https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-04-19-code-to-inspire-is-creating-afghan-hero-girls-through-education

US Military leaving Afghanistan

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-withdrawal-united-states-troops-pentagon/
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/last-u-s-troops-leave-afghanistan-after-nearly-20-years-11630355853