BY LISA NYAMBURA
More than 80 Afghan women who fled the Taliban to pursue higher education in Oman now face imminent deportation, following a funding freeze by the Trump administration.
The students, who were studying under the USAID-funded Women’s Scholarship Endowment (WSE) program, were informed last week that their scholarships had been abruptly terminated.
The decision follows President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid programs after returning to office in January.
“It was heartbreaking. We’ve been told we will be sent back within two weeks.” one student told the BBC.
Since regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban has imposed strict restrictions on women, banning them from universities and limiting their rights.
The USAID program had allowed Afghan women to study abroad in fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but with its cancellation, their future is uncertain.
The students have appealed to the international community for urgent intervention, fearing severe consequences if forced to return.
“If we go back, we will lose everything,” one student said. “We won’t be able to study, and many of us could be at personal risk.”
With time running out, these women are desperately seeking protection and resettlement opportunities before they are forced to return to a country where their rights are virtually nonexistent.
