Digital Citizen Fund
Building the Resilience of Women and Girls through Education, Technology and Entrepreneurship
AFGHANISTAN. THE REGION. THE WORLD.
Our Impact
Afghan Girls’ Online STEAM Education
DCF provides secure, culturally sensitive, and structured online Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education for Afghan girls and young women, including digital literacy, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship training. Our free, AI-enabled education app, the Afghan Dreamers Academy, draws on over a decade of learning from DCF's in-person and remote education programs to offer a bespoke, one-stop digital learning platform specifically for Afghans.
IT & Robotics Centers for Women and GIrls
STEAM education is difficult to operationalize without access to technology. DCF established its first IT Center in Afghanistan in 2012, later expanding to two Innovation Centers and 11 Tech Centers, providing women and young people access to technology and high-quality STEAM training. DCF now supports IT and Robotics Centers for women and girls across the region, as well as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Rule Breakers, International Exhibitions & Global Advocacy
Globally, girls’ education is one of the strongest drivers of economic prosperity and a critical bulwark against child marriage and early childbearing. STEAM education is particularly powerful in unlocking new economic opportunities. Worldwide, these fields are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying sectors, yet women and girls remain disproportionately concentrated in lower-paying, informal sectors that face increasing pressure from automation and artificial intelligence.
Women’s Entrepreneurship
Give an Afghan woman the tools to start a business, and you're giving her agency, dignity, and the confidence that she can still shape her own future.
With an initial investment from the Neuberger Berman Foundation, DCF created a financial literacy program to help young Afghan women manage both personal and business finances. Building on this foundation, DCF now pairs training in accounting, market analysis, and entrepreneurship with micro-loans and small grants to help women launch or scale small businesses.
AFGHAN GIRLS ROBOTICS TEAM
Robotics offers an engaging, hands-on entry point into STEAM, empowering girls with practical skills while building confidence, leadership, and a sense of agency.
The Afghan Girls Robotics Team, also known as the Afghan Dreamers, began as a small DCF initiative with just seven students in January 2017. Despite visa denials, equipment delays, security threats, and political instability, the team soon made international headlines after winning multiple prestigious robotics awards, inspiring the award-winning documentary Afghan Dreamers and the feature film Rule Breakers, available for streaming on most major platforms.
Working as an Afghan Dreamer changed my life and opened new doors for me to explore the world. I will always be an Afghan girl who is working for Afghanistan and it’s future.
— Ayda Haydarpour, Former AGRT Team Member
Mission
The Digital Citizen Fund (DCF) expands women and girls’ access to hands-on education in (STEAM), as well as technology and entrepreneurship training, helping them build resilience and achieve financial independence.
DCF was co-founded as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2017 by entrepreneur Roya Mahboob, whose first encounter with a “magic box” in an internet café in Afghanistan inspired her to pursue computer science and become the country’s first female tech CEO. DCF has over a decade of experience delivering high-quality STEAM education and digital and financial literacy programs to tens of thousands of girls across Afghanistan. In 2025, DCF began expanding its programs to additional countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Make your impact today
The Digital Citizen Fund (DCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your tax-deductible donation helps women and girls gain access to (STEAM) education, technology, and entrepreneurship skills—helping them achieve financial independence in Afghanistan and beyond. Every gift makes a real impact.
DCF is eligible to receive Donor Advised Funds. Find us using our EIN: 46-274088
