Oklahoma Mom Of 11 Helps Evacuate Some Of Afghanistan’s All-Girls Robotics Team

As the Taliban take over Afghanistan, Allyson Reneau is working from her home in Norman, Oklahoma to help get the Afghan girls robotics team to safety.

"Your mom instincts kick in or whatever this was that gave me a sort of warning that they needed assistance, so I was only armed with courage and a cause," explained Reneau, who has 11 biological children.

Reneau told News On 6 as a mother, she connected with five of the Afghan girls at the Human to Mars summit in Washington, D.C., in 2019 and has stayed in touch.

This is the same team that made headlines in 2017, when six members were initially denied visas to travel to the United States for a robotics competition.

Two and a half weeks ago, Reneau contacted the U.S. Embassy in Qatar to help. This week, 10 of the girls were flown out of their hometown of Herat, Afghanistan to Qatar.

"They seem happy and thankful," said Reneau.

Reneau also said the 10 girls who were evacuated plan to continue their education in Qatar, but what is next for the other girls still in Afghanistan is unknown.

"They have dreams of becoming engineers and to have careers of their own and also they kind of want to continue encourage young girls in oppressed countries to get educated," explained Reneau.

Reneau said her mission has been inspired by her son, who served in the Global War on Terror.

"I kind of want to dedicate the lives, the safe lives of these girls and hopefully more to my son and also to the really courageous men and women who spent 20 years serving and sacrificing," said Reneau.

Reneau said she is working with other government officials to help evacuate any of the remaining girls who may want to leave Afghanistan.

You can donate to the cause here.