The money was from the richest country in the world flowing from the largest global relief agency to a complex network of small, medium and large organizations that provided aid: HIV drugs for more than 20 million people; Nutritional supplements for children who are starving; Refugee support, orphan children and women are beaten by violence.
Now, this network collapses. The Trump administration freezes the external aid for 90 days and planned to calm the US International Development Agency to only 5 percent of the workforce, despite the presence of a federal judge. Stop Friday. Looking at the tied wars and economies, it is unlikely that governments or other charitable work will compensate for the deficiency, and the receiving countries are affected by debts on their own.
Even the biggest organizations are unlikely to appear safely. In the interviews, more than 25 relief factor, US Agency for International Development and former Relief Organizations described a system in collective confusion and chaos.
“You may take hours of construction, but” you can withdraw one of these blocs and collapse, “said Mitchell Warren, CEO of HIV.
“I got rid of all employees, and all institutional memory, all confidence and confidence, not only in the United States but in dozens of countries where the American Agency for International Development works,” said Mr. Warren. “These things have taken contracts for accumulation, but two weeks to destroy them.”
Small organizations, some with at least 10 employees, have folded. Some medium -sized organizations imposed up to 80 percent of their employees. Even large organizations – including Catholic relief services and FHI 360, are among the largest beneficiaries of the United States Agency for International Development – Great announced Demobilization or Leave.
in WipeAbout 1 out of 4 non -profit organizations said that they may last a month; He said more than half that they had sufficient reserves to stay for three months at most.
The damage is doubled by President Trump’s announcement that the United States will Withdraw from the World Health OrganizationForced her leaders to announce measures to reduce costs.
World health experts said that the future suddenly seemed uncertain, even Dystopian, and struggled to express alternatives.
“We are completely clear that the future looks different,” said Christine Stygeng, Deputy CEO of Unaids, the United Nations HIV department. But “none of us yet has a true picture of what it means.”
The damage not only extends to the health of people abroad, but also to the Americans and American companies. Along with approximately 100,000 cuts abroad, It is estimated In 42 states that lost their jobs.
Global Supply Series Series for Healthcare The value of approximately $ 3 billion in 2023 was expected to grow. Every year, about $ 2 billion in American agricultural products It was purchased as food aid. Sudden impulsivity risk more than $ 450 million of corn, lentils, rice and other goods that are transported Or in warehouses And ports.
“The economic impact of this will be amazing for people’s lives and companies,” said Lisa Hilmi, Executive Director of the Basic Group, a major global health practiced.
Mrs. Hilmi, who worked as a nurse in many conflict and disasters, said that the lack of health services can pay the health of badness, malnutrition, epidemics, civil disorders and “a broader collapse of society all over the world.”
She said: “If America is the largest great power, then we need to act like it.” “And part of that behaves with humanity.”
“Amazing chaos”
A week after the help of assistance, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio issued a waiver of life -saving humanitarian aid. But work orders for some programs, including Food aidIt follows even after the concession is announced.
Last week, one large organization got the green light for some of its programs. But later on the same day, the Trump administration was placed Dozens of US Agency for International Development On vacation, let the organization wonder whether the section that issued the waiver was still an applicable entity, and the officer who wrote the notification was still working.
A senior organization official said: “It is another example of the amazing chaos that this administration has attached to us,” said a senior organization official.
The leaders of most organizations that depend on the financing of the US International Development Agency will not speak about the registry, for fear of revenge on the Trump administration.
Even when the organizations received approvals to continue, no money was flowing. A large institution has received less than 5 percent of its expected budget for this period, but others did not receive anything.
“I am clearly welcome that the Secretary has agreed to give up and put a leaflet on the Internet, but we cannot pay our bills with the position,” said a senior organization in a senior organization for Mr. Rubio.
Some groups feel morally obligated to continue providing life rescue services, hoping that they will be paid in the end. But with dozens of small organizations closed day after day, the damage to some of the most vulnerable groups in the world accumulate, and some experts warned.
The ecosystem of global health is so closely intertwined that stopping has flexible work of organizations that do not receive money from the United States government.
The agents of your non -profit rhetoric are working with hundreds of organizations in dozens of countries to provide access to contraceptives, abortion and other reproductive health services. Annu Kumar, the organization’s president, said that many clinics have closed, some of them permanently.
She said that the speed of the turmoil did not allow the clinics to the time of developing emergency plans or fragmented its dependence on financing, adding, “This definitely has a ripple effect.”
One week after freezing, more than 900,000 women and girls will be deprived of reproductive care, a number will It grows to 11.7 million During a period of 90 days, according to the Guttmacher Institute. “This is more than all residents of North Carolina,” said Dr. Kumar.
As a result, the institute estimated that 4.2 million girls and women will witness unintended pregnancy, and 8340 will die of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Several HIV programs focus on the “main population” at the highest danger, including transgender people and men who have sex with men, who are marginalized and even even criminal In some countries.
In Uganda, for example, where a harsh gay law can carry a death penalty due to gay activity by mutual consent of people with HIV, unbridging groups with funding from the United States were decisive sources of financial and medical support.
“It is something that every American should be proud of, but I do not think they know that,” said Kenneth Mohong, Executive Director of the Alliance in Promotion of Health and Social Development, who monitors the quality of HIV programs in Uganda.
He said: “I do not think they know how much they contributed and the life they saved, and they do not celebrate it enough.” His organization was forced to give up 105 full -time employees and community workers.
Childhood vaccinations, malaria prevention, treatment, and malnutrition also stopped. As well as programs related to education, economic empowerment, preventive health services and family planning.
“This is an ideal storm for bad health results, which does not revolve around,” said Elisha Den Georgio, Executive Director of the World Health Council, a membership organization for health groups.
Some organizations funded by the United States Agency for International Development have provided clean water and sanitation, especially for the refugee population. Others helped governments protect against diseases such as polio and measles in conflict areas and between Bedouin groups. Others have still provided experience in containing the outbreaks of dangerous pathogens such as Ebola and Marburg, which deteriorate in Uganda and Tanzania.
None of these threats, if not possible, could cross the borders and landing on the shores of America.
She said that the world is “very interconnected, and trying to divide it into” America first “and the rest is no longer working this afternoon.”
“It looks like sadness”
Some employees of the American Agency for International Development and Relief Organizations said that the sudden details of financing were equivalent to the goal: helping countries to become independent enough to care for their citizens.
In the past few years, the US Agency for International Development is working to train midwives, nurses, doctors, laboratories and hospitals to start transferring responsibility.
Self -sufficiency will require small non -profit organizations at the local level to provide services, but the smallest organizations are also the least vulnerable to overcoming the current storm.
“The paradox is that their priority in the 2025 project is resettlement and the distance of the big partners,” said Jeremia Centla, former General Adviser at Mercy Corps. “But the big international partners are the only ones who have access to donors from the private sector and strong public budgets enough to overcome this.”
It is not clear what will happen to tens of thousands of workers who have no jobs suddenly and no industry to find one.
In Kenya, Mercy Githinji took care of 100 families in the Kayole neighborhood in Nairobi when she closed the clinic in which she worked, which is run by the Tomoocia MTOTO project, suddenly. Now, Mrs. Gytinji, a 52 -year -old single mother for four girls, is not sure how to pay rental fees or school fees.
The clinic provided medical care, but also helped residents rent money, food and healthy platforms. “Now there is no check, there is nothing,” Mrs. Gytinji said. “It is very bad. People are suffering.”
Some of the former employees of the United States Agency for International Development said that even if the aid will resume next week, clinics and offices have already closed, people have moved, and confidence has been broken.
Others said they were very sad – not for themselves, but for people who pledged to serve.
“The only way that she was able to describe is, it looks like sadness,” said one of the American International Development Agency employees.
“Our mission is to save lives and relieve suffering,” she said. “The opportunity to contribute to this is not available, and that it be taken away overnight, arbitrarily, without notice or reason, it was called a criminal or radical crazy, it was just a very heartbreaking.”
Stephanie Nolein The reports contributed.
