A scene from Rule Breakers, a dramatization of the story of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team.
By Joyce Chimbi and Naureen Hossain
Mar 7 2025 – Like the Afghan robotics team, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations, is breaking the ‘rules’ and continuing to educate young women in that country despite an edict from the Taliban denying girls a secondary school education.
ECW’s Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, tore up a piece of paper as a symbolic representation of the Taliban edict, which she said violated international law and meant that 1.5 million girls were excluded from education. She was speaking at an International Women’s Day press conference at the United Nations.
The film Rule Breakers, and the Afghan Robotics Team it is based on, shows that “you can do anything. So for whatever we hear right now around us and see around the world, ‘We don’t have money. We can’t do this.’ We are saying—watch Rule Breakers. Create a new path.”
Rule Breakers is a dramatic feature film that follows the story of young Afghan women who have broken tradition and stereotypes to pursue their dreams in science and technology. The film, which was released today, ahead of International Women’s Day, is based on the true story of an all-girl robotics team, born and raised in Afghanistan, and the woman who taught them to dream.
ECW, with their partners, was also breaking the ‘rules’ made by the Taliban and had invested USD 30 million in a multi-year, community-based program that is supported by international partners in the most underserved areas.
“Sixty-five percent of those who are receiving education are girls and adolescent girls, so we are breaking the ban. We are breaking the rules because you have to do so if you want to do what is right in this particular context. So we have reached over 100,000 children, and as I said, 65 percent are adolescent girls,” Sherif said.
She encouraged funders to join in the rule-breaking in a climate where funding was scarce.
Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, addresses a press conference at the United Nations.
“There are rule breakers everywhere that believe that you still have to help the world. And I’m saying, please help us. Help the Afghan girls to get their education, because I’m sure that everyone agrees that this is a fantastic way of doing something.”
The movie, a harrowing tale and a clarion call to return Afghanistan’s girls to the safety and hope of a quality education, releases today in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Sri Lanka, and Sherif says the world should use International Women’s Day to push for the ending of the ban on girls’ secondary education in Afghanistan.
“On International Women’s Day, we are joining nations around the world to call for the end of the cruel and destructive ban on girls’ secondary education. It is time to rebuild Afghanistan based on the vast potential of her most precious natural resource: the resilient and strong Afghan girls and boys. Keep alive their hope through education and let them develop and be productive for the country,” says Sherif.
Rule Breakers is a PG-rated, family-friendly film—directed by Oscar-winner Bill Guttentag—that highlights the unique transformative power of education and raises awareness about the crucial importance of the right to education for girls in Afghanistan, in other crises and emergency settings globally, and the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education for all girls around the world.
Elaha Mahboob, co-producer and writer of Rule Breakers, addresses a press conference at the United Nations.
Elaha Mahboob, co-producer and writer of Rule Breakers, told the press conference that the film brought out nuances in Afghan women’s lives that are not often considered.
“Usually when we talk about Afghan girls and Afghan women, it is either around tragedy or we see an Afghan woman as merely a victim of conflict. Which is, you know, part of the story, but it is not the full picture or full story of what life has been like for women, or what life has been like in the past twenty years in Afghanistan,” Mahboob said.
Yasmine Sherif (left), Elaha Mahboob (center), and Roya Mahboob (right). Roya Mahboob is a tech entrepreneur who established the non-profit Digital Citizen Fund, which founded the Afghan girls’ robotics team, whom the movie is about. Credit: Naureen Hossain/IPS
“For me, it was really important we show a side of Afghanistan that we have never seen in the media or any movies. That there was progress; there were so many courageous women and men that were trying to build a future in Afghanistan. And even though you will see in the movie that there were so many [societal] challenges, like expectations and limitations for these girls, they didn’t sit back and they never gave up on their dreams. They were actually actively working toward their dreams.”
Set in Afghanistan, where learning for young women is often considered rebellion, Rule Breakers brings to life the incredible story of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, showcasing the resilience of girls in STEM and, more so, that ambitious young girls and women in crises and emergency situations should neither be forgotten nor left behind in their pursuit of STEM. It is a story of courage, resilience, and the power of education that, importantly, seeks to inspire and keep the dream of an education alive for all children everywhere.
The Afghan Girls Robotics Team, also known as the “Afghan Dreamers,” was founded in 2017 by Roya Mahboob, a young woman from Herat, Afghanistan, who became a leading force in the country for STEM education for girls. These girls were told their dreams were impossible and that there was no place for women and girls in science, technology, and innovation.
The young women dared to dream and refused to be silenced. Overcoming staggering obstacles, Roya and her team trained in engineering and robotics and traveled the world to compete in international high school robotics competitions.
Rule Breakers is opening at cinemas in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Sri Lanka today.
As a sign of things to come, during the COVID-19 pandemic and under enormous difficulties, they successfully built a ventilator in three months. Somaya Faruqi, portrayed as Tara in the film, was the former captain of the team. Only 19 years old at the time of the Taliban takeover in 2021, Faruqi’s dream to become a mechanical engineer was already taking shape.
Now an engineering scholarship student in the United States, Faruqi is also an Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Global Champion, spearheading the launch of ECW’s global advocacy campaign—#AfghanGirlsVoices.
“Rule Breakers provides the world a glimpse at the reality facing millions of Afghan girls and women today who are living under Taliban rule. They are being denied their human rights to education, their freedom and their dignity. Our voices will not be silenced,” Faruqi said.
The #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign uses moving illustrations by a young Afghan female artist and determined testimonies from Afghan girls to amplify the voices of those left behind demanding their right to education. As the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, ECW supports and protects holistic learning outcomes.
The film stars Ali Fazal and Nikohl Boosheri. The supporting cast includes Noorin Gulamgaus, Amber Afzalzi, Nina Hosseinzaheh, Sara Rowe and Miriam Siraj.
“The story of ‘Rule Breakers’ is more than just a film—it’s a testament to the power of education, technology and resilience. The Afghan Girls Robotics Team’s journey represents the courage of young women who refuse to accept limitations placed upon them, using science and innovation as their tools of resistance,” said Elaha Mahboob, Writer and Executive Producer of Rule Breakers.
“As someone who has worked to create opportunities for Afghan women in technology, I wanted to bring this story to life to inspire the next generation of changemakers and to show the world what is possible when young women are given access to education and opportunity.”
Education Cannot Wait’s #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign has reached 184 million online individuals, 4.1 billion potential audience members, and 4,100 mentions to date. Credit: ECW
The ECW works with global champions like Faruqi in its mission to ensure children affected by armed conflict, climate-induced disasters, and forced displacement can access the safety, hope, and opportunity that only a quality education can provide.
Sherif reminded funders to contribute.
“To all strategic public partners, donors, and private sectors—please, please, break the rules of your own minds and say, ‘There is money; we can do this! They are breaking the rules and bans in Afghanistan to make sure every girl gets an education irrespective of that ban.” And Education Cannot Wait is the vehicle, and we have great partners on the ground. It’s happening. It’s not what we will do—it’s happening right now.”
Around the world, a staggering 234 million children caught in crises are in dire need of support to access quality education, an estimated increase of 35 million over the past three years. Forcibly displaced children, girls and children with disabilities are among the most affected.
Three years after the de facto authorities took power, Afghanistan stands out as the only country in the world where girls and women are officially forbidden to access education beyond Grade 6. Nearly 1.4 million Afghan girls have been deliberately deprived of schooling. Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school.
Rule Breakers offers a powerful story for the global community to unite in support of Afghan girls and with all children affected by crises who have been left behind in the education system. It is a story of hope, resilience, strength and achievements. A story that can resonate for all these 234 million children not to be forgotten. A story that brings to life the promise of a quality education for all and the potential for every child to be pulled out of the depth of darkness and be set on a path of lifelong learning and earning opportunity.
#AfghanGirlsVoices has rallied support from 50+ global leaders and prominent voices, including bestselling authors, artists, Afghan grassroots organizations, UN and government officials, civil society organizations, human rights advocates, youth activists, and more.
IPS UN Bureau Report
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?’http’:’https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+’://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js’;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, ‘script’, ‘twitter-wjs’);
