Answering the public plea made by the governor of Herat, five girls in Afghanistan have joined the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. They have designed cheap ventilators using Toyota Corolla motors and adapting them to propose a cheap and innovative solution.
While more than 40 per cent of women are illiterate in Afghanistan, this group of like-minded girls has shown their capability to find out innovative solutions helping the country to face the pandemic. The team composed of girls aged between 14 and 17: Somaya Faruqi, Dyana Wahbzadeh, Folernace Poya, Ellaham Mansori and Nahid Rahimi. Supervised by Roya Mahboob, who has been named one of the Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, the team is currently working with two prototypes.
With a low cost compared to other solutions, the version powered by the Toyota engine costs approximately 300$. This solution is made with local materials helping the team to recycle old materials. The idea behind the initiative is to fill the ventilator gap using these machines in case of an emergency. Afghanistan does not have enough professional ventilators in case of a widespread of the virus and will therefor need such machines.
“We want to make sure that the government and the community are excited about the technology” said Ms Mahboob.
Adding that if “these girls gave access to the opportunity or the tools, their lives can be changed” and “they can change their community, too”.
A fantastic example of individuals resilience working hard for the health of their community.
