Roya Mahboob facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roya Mahboob رویا محبوب
Roya Mahboob in July 2012
Born	Herat Province, Afghanistan
Alma mater	Herat University
Occupation	Businesswoman
Known for	Founder and CEO of Afghan Citadel Software Company

Roya Mahboob (Dari: رویا محبوب) is a brave Afghan businesswoman. She started and leads the Afghan Citadel Software Company (ACSC), which is a software development company in Herat, Afghanistan. She is well-known for being one of the first women to lead a technology company in Afghanistan. In her country, it's not common for women to work outside their homes.

In April 2013, Time magazine named Roya Mahboob one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. This was because she helped build internet classrooms in high schools across Afghanistan. She also worked on Women's Annex, a website where women from Afghanistan and Central Asia can share their stories through blogs and videos. Sheryl Sandberg, who used to be a top leader at Facebook, wrote about Roya Mahboob for Time magazine. Roya Mahboob also met with John Kerry, who was the U.S. Secretary of State, to talk about women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan. She also advises the Forbes School of Business & Technology.

Roya Mahboob's Early Life and Education

Roya Mahboob was born in Herat, Afghanistan. Her family left the country and lived in Iran when the Taliban group was in power. They returned to Afghanistan in 2003. Roya learned English by helping out at a French charity that focused on media.

Later in 2003, she took computer and communication technology classes offered to women by the United Nations Development Programme. In 2005, she started studying Computer Science at Herat University. She also spent time studying at Technische Universität Berlin in Germany. After finishing her degree in 2009, Roya worked as an IT Director at Herat University. She also worked for the Ministry of Higher Education as a project coordinator.

In 2011, Roya Mahboob was chosen as one of seven Afghan entrepreneurs for a special program called the Herat Information Technology Program. This program helped new businesses grow in Afghanistan.

Roya Mahboob's Career and Companies

Roya Mahboob started the Afghan Citadel Software Company (ACSC) in 2010. She began it with two friends from Herat University, investing $20,000. Her goal was to create jobs for new university graduates, especially women, in Afghanistan's growing technology industry. Her company employs at least 20 programmers, and more than half of them are women.

ACSC creates custom software for different clients, including government offices, universities, and international groups in Afghanistan. They also make their own computer and mobile apps based on what people need. For example, they helped a hospital in Herat switch from paper records to digital ones. They also helped bring reliable internet to Herat University as part of a project called Silk Afghanistan.

In 2012, a company called Citadel of New York was started. This company helps develop and promote Examer, which is an online learning and social networking platform. Roya Mahboob helped create Examer. Another project from this partnership is Women's Annex, which helps fund video content on social media. It also gives Afghan women a chance to start careers as filmmakers.

In 2014, Roya Mahboob joined the advisory board of the Global Thinkers Forum, which is an international group that shares ideas.

Helping Girls with Technology

Roya Mahboob also started a non-profit organization called the Digital Citizen Fund (DCF) in 2012. This organization helps Afghan women learn about technology and money. Through DCF, Roya and her brother, Alireza Mehraban, founded the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, also known as the Afghan Dreamers. Roya supports this team and encourages robotics education using a platform called Inoura.

After the Fall of Kabul in 2021, Roya Mahboob helped members of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team and their families leave the country safely. She worked with the government of Qatar to make this happen.

Recognition and Impact

Roya Mahboob has been recognized for being a female CEO in a country where many women do not work outside the home. She has faced challenges for starting her business, hiring mostly women, working with people from other countries, and even driving a car. Roya's response to these challenges is, "You have to show everybody that men and women are equal. Women can do something if you allow them. Give them opportunity and they can prove themselves."

Roya Mahboob also worked with Film Annex, an online platform for movies and TV shows, to start the Afghan Development Project in 2012. This project aims to show the world a new side of Afghanistan. It shares videos, interviews, and news from Afghan youth. Roya and Film Annex are working to build internet classrooms in Afghan schools. This helps connect children to the world and encourages them to choose positive paths.

In November 2013, Senator John Kerry wrote an article about meeting Roya Mahboob. He talked about how Afghan women, especially Roya, are bringing about changes in their society and around the world. Senator Kerry highlighted how Roya Mahboob's contributions are making a big difference. He said, "Afghan women aren't stopping. They’re marching forward, and we all need to march with them."

Awards and Honors

• 2013: Named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World"
• 2013: Civic Innovator by the "National Democracy Institute"
• 2014: Received the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award
• 2015: Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
• 2015: Michael Dukakis Leadership Fellow