The world’s richest nation’s funds once left to a complex network of smaller, medium and large organizations from the largest global aid agency who provided assistance: HIV medicines for more than 20 million people – Nutrition for children who die of hunger; Support for refugees, orphans and women who are suffering from violence.
Now, that network is inaccessible. The Trump administration has frozen foreign aid for 90 days and plans to only 5 % of its workforce for international development, though a federal judge stopped the project on Friday. Given the wars and the strapped economies, other governments or donors are unlikely to decline, and the recipient countries are hugely obstructed by debt to manage themselves.
Even the largest organizations are unlikely to be hidden. In the interview, more than 25 relief workers, former USAID employees and officials of aid organizations described a system of widespread confusion and chaos.
Mitchell Warren, executive director of the HIV Prevention Organization, said, which relied up to 38 % of its financing, which relied on USAID, which up 38 % of its financing. Depending on, Mitchell Warren said, “It may take hours to make a tower of blocks, but” you pull these blocks and fall from it. “
“You have got rid of the memory of all the institutions, not only in the United States but in dozens of USAID countries, in dozens of USAID countries.” “It took decades to build these things, but it’s two weeks to destroy.”
Small organizations, some of which are with less than 10 employees, have been added. Some medium -sized organizations have increased by 80 % of their employees. Even big organizations – including Catholic Relief Services and FHI 360, the largest recipients of USAID funding – have announced the big Slow. Or Fraud.
I A survey1 out of 4 unprecedented people said they could last for a month. More than half said they had enough reserves to survive for a maximum of three months.
The loss came from President Trump’s announcement that the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organization, and would force its leaders to announce their own costs.
Global health experts say the future is suddenly uncertain, even dustupin, and is struggling to clarify alternatives.
“We are quite clear that the future looks different,” said Christine Stegling, deputy executive director in UN AIDS, UN AIDS, UN AIDS. But “none of us still have its original picture.”
This loss not only extends the health of the people abroad (but also the Americans and the US businesses. With about 100,000 positions cut abroad, one Estimated 52,000 US 42 states have lost their jobs.
World Healthcare supply chain market In 2023, about $ 3 billion was worth $ and it was expected. Every year, for about $ 2 billion American agricultural products Was purchased as Food Aid. Suddenly, Halt is at risk of more than $ 450 million maize, pulses, rice and other items in transit. Or in warehouses And ports.
“Its economic implications will be astonishing to people’s lives and businesses,” said Lisa Halimi, executive director of the Core Group, the Consortium, Core Group, the Consortium, Core Group, a major global health expert.
Ms. Halmi, who worked as a nurse in many conflicts and destruction areas, said that health, nutrition, pandemic, urban unrest and “lack of health services and” a very broad degradation of society all over the world. May be born. “
“If America is the largest superpower, we need to work like it,” he said. “And a part of it is working with humanity.”
‘
A week after the aid was stopped, Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio issued waivers to save humanitarian aid and medicines. But for some programs stopwork orders, including Food aidAfter the announcement of the waiver, he followed it.
Last week, a large organization was pushed forward for some of its programs. But after the same day, the Trump administration kept dozens of USAID officers on leave, and the organization was released thinking whether the waiver division is still a viable institution and the noticeing officer is still employed. Is
“This is another example of the chaos that this administration has emphasized,” said a senior official of the organization.
Fear of retaliation by the Trump administration, the leaders of most organizations who rely on USAID’s financing will not talk about the record.
Even when the organizations have been approved to continue, no money flows. A large organization received less than 5 % of its expected budget for this period, but others got nothing.
“I clearly welcome that the secretary approved the waiver and posted a post on the Internet, but we can’t pay our bills with this post,” said a senior official from a large organization. “”
Some groups morally feel that they continue to provide life -saving services, in the hope that they will eventually be paid. Some experts warn that with dozens of small organizations during the day, the world’s weakest groups have been harmed.
The global health ecosystem is so closely built that this break has also frozen the work of organizations that do not get any money from the US government.
The non -profit IPAS works with hundreds of organizations in dozens of countries to provide access to contraceptive, abortion and other reproductive health services. The organization’s president, Anu Kumar, said many clinics have been closed, some permanently.
He said the pace of obstruction did not give clinics time to make emergency plans or rely on financing, adding, “This certainly has a wave effect.”
After a week of frozen, more than 900,000 women and girls will be denied reproductive care, this is a person who will be Grow up to 11.7 million According to the Gutmacher Institute, more than 90 days’ intervals. “This is higher than the entire population of North Carolina,” said Dr. Kumar.
As a result, the institute estimates that 4.2 million girls and women will experience unnecessary pregnancy, and will die of 8,340 complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Many HIV programs were the highest risk on the “key population”, including sex with transgender people and men, who are backward and even criminals in some countries.
For example, in Uganda, where gay laws can cause death penalty for homosexual activity by unanimously for HIV, the United States financing non -profit Groups have been an important source of financial and medical help.
“It should be proud of every American, but I don’t think they know it,” said Kenneth Mwing, executive director of health promotion and social development alliance.
“I don’t think they know how much they have supported and they have saved their lives, and they do not celebrate it,” he said. His organization had to leave 105 full -time staff members and community workers.
Childhood protective vaccines, malaria prevention and treatment and malnutrition programs are also stopped. Similarly, education, economic empowerment, health -related health services and family planning programs.
“This is a great storm for poor health results, not around,” said Alesh Dun Georgio, executive director of the World Health Council, the membership organization of the Health Groups, said.
Some USAID financing organizations provided clean water and cleaning, especially for the population of refugees. Others helped governments protect governments from diseases such as polio and measles in conflict areas and in nomadic groups. Yet others have specialized in the spread of dangerous pathogens like Ebola and Marburg, who are smiling in Uganda and Tanzania.
Rebecca Woolf said, “If any of these threats can easily cross the borders and land on the US beaches.”
He said, the world is “so integrated, and it has to try to divide it into ‘America First’ and the rest do not work in today’s era.”
‘It feels like grief’
Some USAID employees and aid organizations said that suddenly the plug -in was aimed at the purpose of the plug -in: to help the countries free enough to take care of their citizens.
Over the past few years, USAID has been working on training in pillars, nurses, doctors, laboratories and hospitals to transfer responsibility.
Self -sufficiency will require small non -profit persons locally to provide Local services, but small organizations are also the least likely in the current stormy season.
“Ironically, the project is making his priority local in 2025 and is far from major partners,” said Jeremiah Centralla, a former Morsi Corps general councilor. “But the big international partners are the only ones who have access to private donors and have a considerable balance sheet to go through.”
It is unclear what will happen to tens of thousands of workers who do not have a sudden job and no industry in which it is searched.
In Kenya, Marsi Githaji took care of 100 households in Nairobi’s Kauel neighborhood when the clinic where she worked, USAd Tomokia Metoto project, was stopped suddenly. Now Ms. Githeenji, a 52 -year -old mother of four daughters, is not sure how she will pay rent or school fees.
The clinic provided medical care but also helped the rent money, food and sanitary pads. “There is no check anymore, there is nothing,” said Ms Gathan ji. “It’s very bad. People are in distress.
Even if aid resumes next week, clinics and offices have already closed, people have moved, and confidence is broken.
Others said they were deeply saddened – not for themselves, but for those who promised to serve.
“I have been able to explain it, it feels like grief,” said a former USAID employee.
He said, “Our mission is to save lives and relieve the suffering.” “Don’t get a chance to contribute, and it has not been given the opportunity to remove it overnight, without any information or cause, without any notice or cause, calling the criminal or radical mad.
Stephanie Nolan Reporting was contributed.
