Afghan women in STEM and the power of mentorship

Afghan women in STEM are already shaping knowledge, services and public infrastructure. The archived official UN Afghanistan page for the UN70 “Strong UN. Strong Afghanistan.” campaign brought their voices into view through campaign photographs, news, personal stories and messages from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. It presents them as participants in Afghan recovery rather than distant recipients of aid, and the completed site preserves their contributions as a record of local expertise.

Mentorship by female Afghan scientists is a practical bridge between that expertise and the next generation of learners, researchers and founders. A mentor can explain how to enter a laboratory, read a grant, find data, manage a project or speak confidently in a professional room. For Australian readers, the lesson is to respect Afghan context and support relationships that last beyond one workshop, rather than treating a short course as a complete solution.

Mentorship that turns expertise into confidence

Useful mentorship has three layers: a peer group for shared experience, a one-to-one relationship for individual guidance, and an institutional network that turns advice into access. Peers compare approaches and reduce isolation. A mentor helps a mentee set goals, identify gaps and choose a qualification or project. Universities, employers and laboratories can supply equipment, supervisor time, placements and introductions.

The relationship should be reciprocal rather than top-down. A senior scientist learns from the mentee’s questions and community knowledge, while the mentee gains a realistic view of the field. Female mentors make professional norms more visible by showing how to ask for support, challenge exclusion and protect time for research. Their authority comes from experience, not from speaking for every Afghan woman.

In Afghanistan, design must account for security, mobility, caring duties and uneven access to electricity or internet. Sessions can be scheduled around work and family responsibilities, with telephone or low-bandwidth alternatives when video fails. Travel should not be treated as routine. Clear safeguarding, confidentiality and referral procedures are as important as the subject being taught.

Female Afghan scientists broaden the circle

Afghan women scientists and engineers work across public health, agriculture, civil engineering, renewable energy, computing and environmental monitoring. They may be based in universities, hospitals, field stations, ministries, laboratories or community organisations. STEM is therefore present in everyday services: a reachable clinic, safer water, a stronger crop or a clearer response to environmental change.

Their experience is shaped by conflict, displacement, interrupted study, restrictions on education and work, financial barriers and safety concerns. Many also carry unpaid care responsibilities, although needs vary by person and place. A single success story cannot represent the whole population. Mentorship needs flexibility, confidentiality and a willingness to work around the practical conditions affecting each participant.

A female Afghan scientist can show a mentee how to prepare for an entrance examination, organise reliable sources, request supervision, present research or apply for a small grant. She can identify bias in hiring and help the mentee respond without placing the burden of change on the applicant. Shared context turns an abstract barrier into manageable actions.

Designing access around safety and dignity

The UN can convene mentors, universities, employers, Afghan institutions and civil society; document women’s contributions; and advocate for the right to learn, work and participate in public life. Its public platform can preserve stories that might disappear during a crisis. The archived campaign also demonstrates why local people must remain decision-makers in their own futures, rather than being treated as objects of a distant programme.

Participation needs practical protection. A safe venue, respectful language, accessible materials and a complaints process can determine whether a mentee stays involved. Digital sessions should offer downloadable notes, dial-in options and transcripts, while schedules account for location and time. Stipends, childcare or safe transport may be more useful than another lecture when resources are scarce.

Programmes should measure change without exposing participants to risk. Useful indicators include repeat mentoring, completed technical projects, qualifications, paid placements, research presentations and the mentee’s own assessment of safety and confidence. Consent and careful data handling are essential. Counting workshops alone misses whether mentoring has widened the choices available to participants.

Partnerships that connect skills to opportunity

Science careers become more resilient when mentoring connects people to universities, employers, professional associations and public agencies. A university can provide laboratory access, a company a supervised placement, and a professional association information about standards and membership. Agreements should place Afghan leadership at the centre and state who owns research, who benefits and how participants are protected.

A comparative example is the regional partnership platform in Kosovo, which shows how structured dialogue among public institutions, business and civil society can identify shared projects. Its relevance is methodological, not organizational: Afghan priorities and conditions must guide any partnership. A regional network can offer convening lessons without replacing local knowledge or imposing a one-size-fits-all STEM model.

Strong partnerships give mentees routes beyond the mentoring relationship through internships, procurement, translation, research ethics and career information. They can give mentors teaching, peer-review and professional-development opportunities too. Clear roles prevent a short placement from becoming unpaid labour or a network from extracting stories without returning useful opportunities.

From scientific knowledge to local enterprise

Many scientists ask whether an idea can become a service, product or public benefit. The UN Afghanistan report on UN business support connects this question to small businesses after conflict, when finance, markets and reliable information can be fragile. Mentorship can help women move from a technical skill into a well-governed enterprise without forcing every scientist toward entrepreneurship.

Opportunities may appear in agricultural technology, health services, clean energy, water management, logistics or digital tools. An engineer might work with a manufacturer on maintenance, an environmental scientist might help a cooperative measure water quality, or a computing graduate might build a secure system for a local service. Commercial and social value can coexist when research is translated responsibly and community needs remain central.

Enterprise mentors need to cover licensing, pricing, bookkeeping, customer research, procurement, safety and safeguarding. Female founders may encounter barriers in credit, property, mobility and networks, so mentoring should connect them with credible finance and advisory services. The aim is informed choice: some mentees build businesses, while others pursue public service, further study or research.

What Australian STEM communities can carry forward

Sydney and Melbourne combine universities, research precincts, technology firms and established professional networks. In Sydney, an engineer might move between campus and a startup district before catching a train with an Opal card. In Melbourne, a researcher may take a tram using Myki after a lab meeting. These everyday rhythms can shape an Australian format: short scheduled video sessions, clear agendas and meetings that respect work, study and commuting time. A mentee in a regional city or a First Nations community may need a different model.

The local market offers concrete pathways. Australian companies working in cyber security, clean energy, health technology, agricultural systems and climate adaptation need people who understand technical questions and community consequences. Professional associations can connect Afghan scientists with Australian peers, while universities can offer placements, research collaborations or supervisor training. The exchange should be reciprocal, with resources controlled by Afghan partners.

Australian law provides a reference point for safer mentoring. The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 addresses sex discrimination, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment in employment and other settings. The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 sets obligations for covered employers, including preventing harassment and addressing gender inequality. These laws cannot remove every barrier faced by women in conflict or insecure work, but they offer language and accountability for inclusive programmes. Partnerships should also respect privacy, occupational safety and the fact that mentoring is not a substitute for paid employment.

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The lasting lesson of the UN70 campaign is that visibility and mentorship belong in the same story. A scientist needs a community in which to learn, someone to trust and a door into work that may be difficult to enter alone. Afghan women can provide that continuity, and their colleagues can make participation visible through respectful research, fair hiring and durable partnerships. The archived record keeps this standard in view after the campaign has closed.

Carry that standard into action by reading and sharing the archived Afghan stories, supporting women-led STEM networks, funding low-bandwidth training and safe participation, and inviting qualified Afghan women into professional conversations about research, industry and public services. Australian universities, companies and community groups can contribute a mentor, placement, referral network or public commitment to fair access. Turn visibility into opportunity, and opportunity into local leadership.