She’s ready to learn. Help remove what stands in the way.
CodeWeekend runs free, live coding bootcamps for Afghan learners, with a focus on women and girls. Your gift pays for the practical things that decide whether a student can take part: a seat, a laptop, and an internet connection that holds through a live class.
Every girl deserves the right to learn and dream.
For many Afghan women, the hardest part isn’t the code.
Our students are capable, motivated, and willing to work hard. What gets in their way is usually practical — and practical problems have practical answers.
Classrooms closed to her
Since 2021, girls in Afghanistan have not been allowed to attend school beyond sixth grade, and since December 2022 women have been shut out of universities. Online learning is one of the few paths still open.
No computer of her own
Some of the students we admit don’t have a personal computer. A live, project-based bootcamp isn’t realistic on a borrowed or shared device.
A connection that drops
Internet is expensive and power cuts are common. When the line drops mid-lesson, a strong student falls behind through no fault of her own.
When the barriers come down, students do the rest.
Since the first bootcamp in 2019, every cohort has depended on support — scholarships, laptops, internet, and platform access from partners and individual donors.
- 2019
12graduates
Our free pilot bootcamp accepted 20 learners.
- 2021
75participants
A remote, full-time cohort for learners inside and outside Afghanistan, with continuing mentorship.
- 2022
30learners
Joined from more than 250 applicants. Hackajob funded scholarships for 20 women, and Scrimba gave 100 learners a year of premium access.
- 2026
25graduates
50 women and girls were selected; 20 graduates presented their own apps at Demo Day.
We report applications, admissions, and graduations separately and never present one as another.
See our full impact recordFrom a first webpage to the Demo Day stage.
In the first weeks of her bootcamp, Maryam Hamrah built her first personal webpage. By Demo Day she was presenting Launchpad — an AI tool that turns a career goal into a personalized learning roadmap — to a live audience of mentors, partners, and fellow students. A seat, a working laptop, and a connection that held made those months of work possible.
The program strengthened my problem-solving abilities, confidence, teamwork, and belief that I can build meaningful products that solve real problems.
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.
Every amount covers something specific.
Donations fund the unglamorous parts of the program — the things that turn an admitted applicant into a graduate.
- $25
One month of internet access for one student
- $100
A laptop power adapter, hardware support, or a week of mentor stipends
- $500
A laptop, refurbished or new, for a student who needs one
- Start to finish
$2,500
A full seat: 6 months of internet ($25 × 6 = $150), a laptop ($500), and the live teaching through Demo Day
- $10,000
A named scholarship or program sponsorship for the next cohort
Give monthly, and help us plan
Even $10 a month makes a difference. Recurring gifts let us commit to the next cohort before it starts — the difference between running on hope and running on a budget.
How to give
Email us
Write to donate@codeweekend.net with the amount you have in mind and whether it’s a one-time or monthly gift.
We arrange the details
We’ll reply personally to set up your donation.
Direct your gift, if you like
You can designate a gift to the general fund, a specific cohort, instructor compensation, or a particular cost like internet or laptops. For larger gifts or foundation grants, see ways to partner.
Where we stand, honestly
- Registered non-profit
- CodeWeekend is incorporated as a non-profit society in British Columbia, Canada.
- Tax receipts
- We are working toward charitable status with the Canada Revenue Agency. Official donation receipts will be available once it is granted. Donors elsewhere should check their local rules on gifts to overseas organizations.
- Clear reporting
- We publish applications, admissions, scholarships, and graduations as separate numbers. See our impact record.
Thank you to the funders who make this work possible
- Primary funder since 2025
Linda Norgrove Foundation (opens in a new tab)
Funding since 2025, including 30 full scholarships and about 30 internet packages.
- GiveInternet (opens in a new tab)
2026: laptops for 10 students and three months of internet for more than 30.
- Hackajob (opens in a new tab)
2022: 20 scholarships for women, plus a fundraising marathon.
- Scrimba (opens in a new tab)
2021–2022: a year of premium course access for 100 students.
- Individual donors and volunteer mentors
Without whom none of this scales.
The next cohort is being planned now. Help open more seats.
In recent cohorts, far more people have applied than we had seats for. Every gift brings another student closer to a seat, a laptop, and a connection that holds.
Other ways to help: mentor a student · hire a graduate