Donate Mentor Apply for the next cohort
Free · Fully live · For Afghan learners

Change your life, learn to code.

Since 2014, CodeWeekend has grown from a volunteer developer community in Kabul into free, fully-live coding bootcamps for Afghan learners, taught by working developers. Our 2026 Bootcamp was built for women and girls in Afghanistan.

Explore the programs See what students build
Registered non-profit in BC, Canada Scholarships & internet support
capstone.js Web & AI Bootcamp 2026
✓ Built
Mahdia Hassani Built SafeNet Home · Class of 2026 See all 2026 capstones
Programs

Two programs. One progression. Both fully live.

Start with the foundational Web & AI bootcamp. Continue into Full Stack to go from job-ready to senior-track. Both are taught live, in cohort — never asynchronous, never recorded-and-forgotten.

Step 1 · Start here 2026 cohort

Web & AI Development Bootcamp 2026

A 12-week, fully-live program for women and girls in Afghanistan. From computer basics to building real AI-integrated web applications.

Duration
12 weeks
Format
Live · cohort-based
Level
Beginner to job-ready
Tuition
Free (scholarship-funded)
  • Foundations: computer basics, internet, Git, essential digital tools
  • Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design, React framework
  • Introduction to AI: connecting LLMs to web applications in practical ways
  • Capstone Project: design and develop your own application, presented at Demo Day
  • Live mentorship from female mentors in Afghanistan and abroad
  • Full scholarships, internet packages, and laptop support available
Learn about future cohorts

476 women and girls applied in 2026 · 50 admitted

Step 2 · Go deeper Future cohort

Full Stack Development Bootcamp

Our six-month, advanced bootcamp for graduates of the foundational program. Goes deep on backend, infrastructure, and the system design skills that take graduates from job-ready to senior-track.

Duration
6 months
Format
Live · cohort-based
Prerequisite
Web & AI or equivalent
Tuition
Free
  • Backend with Node.js, Python, and Go fundamentals
  • Databases: relational, document, key-value — when to use which
  • System design: caching, queueing, observability, scaling
  • DevOps: Docker, CI/CD, infrastructure as code
  • Capstone with a real partner organization
  • Senior-level interview preparation
Express interest

Run before in 2021 with Scrimba (75 participants) and 2022 with Hackajob (30 students).

Our story

A community since 2014. Every chapter built the next.

CodeWeekend began as a volunteer developer community in Kabul and grew into free, structured bootcamps for Afghan learners — wherever they are.

A full lecture hall at a CodeWeekend community session at Kardan University in Kabul
Community sessions in Kabul
Online Demo Day 2026: a slide of graduates' apps next to video tiles of organizers, mentors, and graduates
Online Demo Day, 2026
See our full impact record
  1. 2014
    Community

    Founded in Kabul

    Jamshid Hashimi founded CodeWeekend on June 4, 2014. Volunteers went on to run more than 100 sessions, events, and trainings for developers.

  2. 2019
    First bootcamp

    Structured training begins

    Bootcamp training became the focus. The free pilot accepted 20 learners and graduated 12.

  3. 2021
    Remote

    Live, online, full-time

    After August 2021, the Bootcamp went remote for learners inside and outside Afghanistan, starting with 75 participants.

    Read more
  4. 2022
    Scholarships

    More access for more learners

    More than 250 people applied and 30 learners joined. Hackajob funded scholarships for 20 women; Scrimba gave 100 learners a year of premium access.

    Read more
  5. 2024
    Bootcamp

    The Bootcamp continues

    Another cohort learned fully live and online, keeping structured training going for Afghan learners.

  6. 2025
    Women & girls

    A Bootcamp for women and girls

    The Web & AI Bootcamp launched for women and girls in Afghanistan: more than 280 applied, 50 were admitted, and the Linda Norgrove Foundation funded 30 full scholarships. CodeWeekend also became a registered nonprofit in British Columbia, Canada.

    Read more
  7. 2026
    Latest

    Bigger, and building with AI

    476 women and girls applied and 50 were admitted. Graduates built their own AI-powered apps and presented them live at Demo Day.

    Read more
Alumni

Where our graduates are now.

Every Bootcamp leaves behind developers, designers, and builders — and a community that keeps going after graduation. A few of their stories.

Bootcamp 2021–2022

CodeWeekend is a wonderful program for any Computer Science student or graduate to go through! I graduated from the program and now I have a job!

Pourya AmireJunior UI/UX Designer Read Pourya's story
More graduate storiesAll student stories
Alumni directory

The people who built this community

CodeWeekend graduates across the years — from our early bootcamps to the women who graduated from the 2026 Web & AI Bootcamp.

Meet the alumni Meet the 2026 graduates
What the community said

The next generation of Afghan developers are getting their education at CodeWeekend!

Shaheen Naikpay · Kabul

I am working with a developer who is graduated from CodeWeekend Bootcamp program. He is outstanding!

Hamid Afghan · Kabul
How the Bootcamp works

From a first webpage to working AI apps.

One rule runs through the Bootcamp: if you learn it, you build with it. These are screenshots of students' own work from the 2026 Web & AI Bootcamp.

Maryam Hamrah's personal webpage introducing her as a front-end developer

HTML, CSS, Git, and GitHub — then a personal webpage, built and published.

Built byMaryam Hamrah
Lima Rahimzai's portfolio listing Infinity Cinema, SchoolHub, and NovaInvoice

A movie theater site, a school portal, an invoice manager — each one adding interaction, forms, and data.

Built byLima Rahimzai
Rahimah Ansari's React developer portfolio: "Hi, glad you're here! I'm Rahimah Ansari"

Reusable components and a live, deployed site they could send to anyone.

Built byRahimah Ansari
PollyGlot translation app by Mahdia HassaniPopChoice movie recommendation app by Maryam Hamrah

PollyGlot, a translator, and PopChoice, a movie recommender, put AI APIs inside real interfaces.

Built byMahdia Hassani & Maryam Hamrah
Grid of 24 capstone apps from the 2026 cohort, each labelled with the graduate's name, including PostPlanner-AI, TravelGenie, MorningFocus, SafeNet, Launchpad, SmartCloset, MeetMind, and Freela

Each graduate chose a problem, planned a product, and built it. Twenty of the 25 graduates presented live to students, mentors, partners, and alumni at Demo Day.

Read the 2026 Bootcamp story
2026 graduates

Our newest graduates, in their own words.

Four graduates of the 2026 Web & AI Bootcamp on what changed for them — choose a graduate to hear her story.

My biggest achievement since joining CodeWeekend has been working on real-world team projects, especially building SafeNet. I learned JavaScript, React, Tailwind CSS, Git, GitHub, APIs, and AI concepts, which helped me grow from building static websites to creating and deploying dynamic web applications.

Mahdia HassaniBuilt SafeNet Home · Web & AI Bootcamp 2026

CodeWeekend transformed the way I approach software development. The bootcamp helped me move beyond building simple web pages to developing complete full-stack applications with modern technologies and AI.

Samira HakimiBuilt MeetMind · Web & AI Bootcamp 2026

CodeWeekend gave me the practical experience and confidence to build real-world projects. I learned how to develop production-ready applications, collaborate using Git and GitHub, and integrate AI into modern web development.

Zahra AhmadiBuilt Freela · Web & AI Bootcamp 2026

CodeWeekend has accelerated both my technical and personal growth. It introduced me to modern web development practices, AI integration, and collaborative project development.

Basira MehrzadBuilt MorningFocus · Web & AI Bootcamp 2026
With gratitude

Made possible by partners who believe in this.

Every Bootcamp is free for those accepted because these organizations cover scholarships, internet, laptops, and learning tools.

Partner with us Meet all our partners

  • Linda Norgrove Foundation Core partner · since 2025

    Scholarships, internet, and Bootcamp running costs

    30scholarships a year

  • GiveInternet 2026

    Laptops, plus three months of internet for 30+ students

    10laptops

  • Hackajob 2022

    Scholarships for women learners

    20scholarships

  • Scrimba 2021–2022

    A year of premium access to learning courses

    100learners

  • RapidIteration Community partner

    Community, technology work, and our earlier website

The CodeWeekend Promise

What every learner can count on.

Learning to code from Afghanistan takes courage — through power cuts, costly internet, and classrooms closed to girls. Whoever you are and wherever you join from, this is what we promise every student we accept.

  • A real teacher, live, every session.

    No pre-recorded videos to sit through alone. Every session is taught live by a working developer, so you can ask your question the moment it comes up.

  • You will never learn alone.

    Pair programming, peer code reviews, and a cohort that goes through every week with you — then a community that stays long after graduation.

  • Mentors in your corner.

    Working engineers and dedicated female mentors from Afghanistan and abroad share their professional journeys and answer the questions only practice can produce.

  • Free, so cost never decides.

    Every Bootcamp is free for those accepted. Partners such as the Linda Norgrove Foundation and GiveInternet help with scholarships, internet packages, and laptops where needed.

News · Aug 2025 CodeWeekend is now a registered non-profit society in British Columbia, Canada. Read what changes for our students, mentors, and partners.
Read the announcement →
From News

Notes from the cohorts & the team.

Bootcamp milestones, Demo Day recaps, and news from our graduates and partners.

All news
Cohort spotlight Sep 1, 2026 ·7 min read

From first build to Demo Day

Fifty Afghan women and girls selected. Twenty-five graduates. Twenty Demo Day presenters — 27 August 2026.

Read post →
Announcement Aug 28, 2025 ·6 min read

Bootcamp launch and becoming a non-profit

Two milestones for 2025: the launch of a 12-week Web & AI Development Bootcamp for women and girls in Afghanistan, and CodeWeekend's incorporation as a non-profit society in British Columbia, Canada.

Read post →
Year in review Jan 4, 2023 ·5 min read

One of our most productive years since 2014

A year in review for 2022 — our third bootcamp cohort, partnerships with Hackajob and Scrimba, and what's ahead in 2023.

Read post →

There's a place for you in this work.

CodeWeekend is free for participants because other people make it possible — funders, mentors who share professional experience, and companies that create fair pathways to work.

Find your way in