US Halts $25M Grant, Putting Afghan Women's Higher Education on the Verge of Collapse

The United States has stopped a $25 million grant to the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), a move that threatens the continuity of one of the few institutions where Afghan women can still pursue higher education.

The State Department made the decision this year, telling Deutsche Welle that the university's history of repeated lack of accountability for American taxpayer dollars drove the choice. The agency noted that the institution is free to identify other funders and partners, but the loss of the primary financial source leaves the university's future uncertain.

AUAF opened in 2006 after former US first lady Laura Bush announced that the United States had committed millions of dollars to the project. Bush described the school as a place to train future leaders, particularly women. Patrick Fine, who served as Afghanistan mission director at USAID during the Bush administration, explained that the agency viewed the university as a way to stabilize a young democracy and build goodwill for the interim government.

Financial scrutiny began in 2016 when US inspectors opened an investigation into the university's finances. By 2018, investigators concluded that poor accounting made it impossible to trace exactly how aid money was spent. John Sopko, a former US federal inspector who oversaw the probe, stated he was surprised the institution was still receiving funding. Fine rejected the accounting issues as the primary reason for the recent cut, calling them smear tactics. He acknowledged the university struggled with USAID rules but said audits did not find major fraud.

The US government has long been the dominant financial backer of AUAF. A 2018 report indicated that American taxpayers covered nearly 90% of the university's costs. While other donors exist, none have matched the scale of US support. The current administration's decision removes that primary lifeline.

The funding freeze lands on a student body of roughly 1,000 people, about three-quarters of whom are women. Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the physical campus has been under Taliban control. Many students, including political science major Laila, now study in secret through the university's online program. Laila, who changed her name for safety, joins lectures from home using aliases and keeps her camera off. She described knowing her classmates only by their voices.

Laila's path to AUAF began after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, when she was at another Kabul university with two exams remaining. The Taliban announced a ban on women's education in December 2022, leaving her degree unfinished. She later won a scholarship to AUAF and restarted her studies. She noted that not every girl had that opportunity.

Daily life for these students involves constant vigilance. Some peers have received threatening calls and messages. Laila worries that Taliban authorities could search her phone and find university emails. She said officials have entered her home several times to search family belongings. She expressed a persistent fear that the next search might be for her.

The US State Department press office confirmed the withholding of the $25 million grant. The university is now left to seek new financial partners to maintain its online operations. For Laila, the news has been crushing. She said she has lost motivation and hope, and has barely left her room since learning of the cut. She had expected to graduate years ago and pursue a master's degree abroad, but now she thinks she may find a way in five or ten years.