KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Qatari organization Education Above All (EAA) has announced a $50 million agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support children’s access to education in Afghanistan.
According to Qatar Tribune, the agreement was signed on Sunday, December 8, at the Doha Forum. Under this partnership, Education Above All, with support from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and USAID, will allocate $50 million to provide education for over 100,000 Afghan children and offer nearly 2,000 scholarships.
The collaboration will not only focus on funding but also prioritize research, strategic engagement, and partnerships with other stakeholders to strengthen Afghanistan’s education sector.
Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Acting CEO of Education Above All, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating: “At Education Above All, we believe that education is the key to unlocking opportunities and changing lives. Partnering with USAID in this critical initiative is an important step toward our shared vision of inclusive and equitable education for all.”
Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the regime has effectively restricted women’s and girls’ rights, starting with a ban on secondary education. Rights groups have highlighted the severe societal, developmental, and economic consequences of this decision, which jeopardizes Afghanistan’s future.
The ban was later extended to universities, employment, public spaces such as parks and gyms, and even travel without a male guardian. Recently, the Taliban further curtailed women’s freedoms by prohibiting them from speaking or reading aloud outside their homes and enforcing full-body coverings, including the face.
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are systematically barred from secondary and higher education. According to UNICEF, nearly 1.5 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the Taliban’s takeover, with an additional 38,000 affected this year alone.
UN experts, human rights organizations, and activists describe the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls as gender apartheid, deliberately designed to subjugate them based solely on their gender.
Despite mounting international pressure, including calls from Islamic countries and organizations, the Taliban insists their policies align with “Islamic Sharia law and Afghan traditions.”
