US aid cuts yank Nepal’s girls out of school and into child marriage

Apsana Khatun (middle, in blue) talks with her friends, many of whose paths into formal schooling have been disrupted due to U.S. aid cuts. Photo by: Sunita Neupane / Devex

A short-lived U.S.-funded education program brought teachers to villages where girls had never been allowed to attend school. Its abrupt end has left many of those girls without a path back to learning — and under increased pressure to marry.