Flood-affected Pakistani students to receive US scholarships

By Team CG
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March 10, 2023
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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced on Tuesday that 500 new scholarships are being offered as part of a plan to help Pakistani students affected by floods complete their studies.

According to Dawn News, over the past decade, Pakistan's flooding in 2022 was the tenth most costly climate disaster. Over 1,700 people were killed and eight million people were displaced as a result of the floods, which cost the country an estimated $3 billion in losses.

Dawn reported in January that over $9 billion was committed to help Pakistan recover from flooding by international donors in Geneva. So far, the United Nations stated that only 40% of the pledged funds have been fulfilled by donors.

The US Embassy in Islamabad announced the scholarships at an event marking International Women's Day at the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

As part of the Merit and Needs Based Scholarship Program, the US government has awarded over 6,000 scholarships in partnership with HEC.

Reinforcing the US government's initiative to support women's higher education, about 60 percent of these scholarships have been awarded to women.