More than 80 Afghan women who fled the Taliban regime to study in Oman are facing imminent deportation to Afghanistan after their U.S.-funded scholarship was canceled as part of the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid. The female students were informed of the termination of their scholarship program on Feb. 28, along with thousands of other foreign aid initiatives. They are appealing for urgent help to continue their studies abroad and avoid returning to Afghanistan, where they fear persecution and life-threatening risks.
The Afghan students were pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Oman under the Women’s Scholarship Endowment, a program launched in 2019 with a $50 million endowment from USAID. Interest from the endowment had covered the program’s costs without requiring additional annual funding from the U.S. government. Despite the students’ plea for help and efforts by nonprofit groups to resolve the situation with the government of Oman, more than 120 Afghans have had their scholarship funding cut off.
Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, they have imposed severe restrictions on women, including banning them from education and employment, limiting their freedoms, and threatening their safety. Lawmakers like Rep. Seth Moulton have criticized the cancellation of the scholarship program, calling it shameful and potentially putting the lives of innocent young women at risk. The students fear that being sent back to Afghanistan could result in a death sentence, as they have relied on the scholarship to pursue education opportunities abroad.
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