A group of 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 scholarship program, administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, was terminated along with other aid initiatives, leaving the students at risk of persecution and life-threatening risks if they return to Afghanistan.
The Afghan students, pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Oman under the Women’s Scholarship Endowment, are appealing for help to continue their studies abroad and avoid returning to a country where women face severe restrictions under the Taliban. The program, launched in 2019 with a $50 million endowment from USAID, was intended to cover the cost without requiring additional annual funding.
Nonprofit groups are working with the government of Oman to resolve the situation and prevent the students from being deported back to Afghanistan. Rep. Seth Moulton condemned the cancellation of the scholarship program as putting innocent lives at risk and called for the Trump administration to reverse course.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, they have imposed strict restrictions on women, including banning them from education and employment, limiting their freedom, and suppressing their rights. The elimination of the scholarship program has put these Afghan students in a precarious and potentially life-threatening situation, with uncertainty about their future and education opportunities.
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