"The win here is that they achieved this while being very underprivileged."
Do we know that?
I have some experience in this area, I don't live in a "privileged" country, and I find there is at least some truth to the adage "Aid, is poor people in rich countries, giving to rich people in poor countries".
Good for them they've achieved this, whether they were privileged, assisted (because they were underprivileged?), untouchables from broken families, or whatever, or not, but let's not jump to conclusions about the actual backstory.
First: you don't know that. There's nothing in the article to suggest that they "won because they were unprivileged" rather than on the merits of the device they created.
Second: you don't know what the criteria for giving the price out is. What if the idea of the prize is to encourage kids to get into tech? Who would benefit more, some kid who went to a Palo Alto school and whose parents work at Google and Apple, or some kid from a developing nation with not nearly as many resources?
It's very cavalier - and very disturbing - to assume all you are assuming just because they are Afghan. Have you ever wondered if you'd had the same concerns if they came from -say - Brazil?
Do we know that?
I have some experience in this area, I don't live in a "privileged" country, and I find there is at least some truth to the adage "Aid, is poor people in rich countries, giving to rich people in poor countries".
Good for them they've achieved this, whether they were privileged, assisted (because they were underprivileged?), untouchables from broken families, or whatever, or not, but let's not jump to conclusions about the actual backstory.