US Foreign Aid Cuts Leave Global Women's Health in Limbo
As the US government continues to slash foreign aid, one year on from drastic cuts, women across Africa and beyond are feeling the devastating impact. According to Pester Siraha, country director of MSI Zimbabwe, abrupt funding cuts have left millions without access to family planning services.
The situation is dire. Zimbabwe, which was once a major beneficiary of US foreign aid, now faces chaos as nongovernmental organizations struggle to meet demand for contraceptives and reproductive healthcare. Women are being forced to make difficult choices about their bodies, with some opting for long-acting methods out of fear that funding will be cut off again.
"We were struggling to meet the demand of these women in the field," said Patrick Kinemo, country director of MSI Tanzania. "We had to sit down with the government to figure out how to redistribute what we did have immediately." Now, one year on, challenges around accessibility remain, with many women unable to access their preferred method of contraception.
The consequences are staggering. Guttmacher Institute estimates that 50 million women and girls have already been denied contraceptive care in low and middle-income countries globally. The defunding of US foreign aid last year is estimated to lead to 14 million additional deaths worldwide by 2030, while organizations face a difficult year ahead as they try to make up for the gap in funding.
As countries like the UK, Germany, Canada, and others follow suit with their own cuts to foreign aid, the result will likely be more deaths. The world is being forced to confront the consequences of abandoning the very services that protect women's health and lives.
"I wish decision-makers could come to the ground and see exactly how funding was helping people," said Siraha. "The idea that women should have control over their own bodies, to make choices about their reproductive healthcare, has been widely embraced." But now, those choices are being taken away from them, leaving many women in limbo.
It's a stark reminder of the importance of foreign aid and the devastating consequences of abandoning it. The global community must take action to support organizations like MSI Zimbabwe and Tanzania, which are on the frontlines of providing essential reproductive healthcare services.
As Kinemo pointed out, access to contraceptives is not just a rights issue, but also a public health and economic one. "Tanzania has a high teenage pregnancy rate; it's around 22 percent," he said. If young girls are unable to get contraceptives, then obviously they become susceptible to early pregnancies, and this impacts their life outcomes generally.
The world cannot afford to lose another year of progress on women's health and reproductive rights. The US government must reconsider its approach to foreign aid, prioritizing the lives and well-being of women across the globe.
As the US government continues to slash foreign aid, one year on from drastic cuts, women across Africa and beyond are feeling the devastating impact. According to Pester Siraha, country director of MSI Zimbabwe, abrupt funding cuts have left millions without access to family planning services.
The situation is dire. Zimbabwe, which was once a major beneficiary of US foreign aid, now faces chaos as nongovernmental organizations struggle to meet demand for contraceptives and reproductive healthcare. Women are being forced to make difficult choices about their bodies, with some opting for long-acting methods out of fear that funding will be cut off again.
"We were struggling to meet the demand of these women in the field," said Patrick Kinemo, country director of MSI Tanzania. "We had to sit down with the government to figure out how to redistribute what we did have immediately." Now, one year on, challenges around accessibility remain, with many women unable to access their preferred method of contraception.
The consequences are staggering. Guttmacher Institute estimates that 50 million women and girls have already been denied contraceptive care in low and middle-income countries globally. The defunding of US foreign aid last year is estimated to lead to 14 million additional deaths worldwide by 2030, while organizations face a difficult year ahead as they try to make up for the gap in funding.
As countries like the UK, Germany, Canada, and others follow suit with their own cuts to foreign aid, the result will likely be more deaths. The world is being forced to confront the consequences of abandoning the very services that protect women's health and lives.
"I wish decision-makers could come to the ground and see exactly how funding was helping people," said Siraha. "The idea that women should have control over their own bodies, to make choices about their reproductive healthcare, has been widely embraced." But now, those choices are being taken away from them, leaving many women in limbo.
It's a stark reminder of the importance of foreign aid and the devastating consequences of abandoning it. The global community must take action to support organizations like MSI Zimbabwe and Tanzania, which are on the frontlines of providing essential reproductive healthcare services.
As Kinemo pointed out, access to contraceptives is not just a rights issue, but also a public health and economic one. "Tanzania has a high teenage pregnancy rate; it's around 22 percent," he said. If young girls are unable to get contraceptives, then obviously they become susceptible to early pregnancies, and this impacts their life outcomes generally.
The world cannot afford to lose another year of progress on women's health and reproductive rights. The US government must reconsider its approach to foreign aid, prioritizing the lives and well-being of women across the globe.
and the estimate of 14 mil deaths worldwide by 2030 is just mind-blowing. it's like, we thought we were making progress on women's rights but clearly we weren't prioritizing their health & well-being enough. canada & germany should be ashamed for cutting foreign aid too 
it's only a matter of time before the global community is left in shambles... those "cuts" aren't really cuts at all, they're just a massive Band-Aid on a bullet wound 
. We're already seeing 50 million women and girls being denied basic care, and now you're telling me we gotta wait till 2030 to see the full extent of it? 
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millions r without access 2 family planning services n reproductive healthcare now... guttmacher institute says 50 million women & girls have b denied care 
it's like the US government just abandoned women's health altogether 
foreign aid cuts are gonna lead to more deaths & more suffering globally 
the UK, germany, canada r following suit too 
they're on the frontlines of providing reproductive healthcare services 
like I said on my blog last week, a clear and concise layout makes all the difference 
let's not be all about fancy stats and graphs, just tell it like it is 
50 million women denied contraceptive care? that's not just a number, it's real people struggling to make ends meet 
what's even more alarming is that we might see 14 million additional deaths worldwide by 2030 because of this 
the economic & public health impacts are massive, not to mention the human cost 
the fact that countries are cutting foreign aid is just a huge step back. did u know that MSZ & Tanzania were already struggling to meet demand for contraceptives before the funding cuts?! 
the uk, germany, canada... everyone's following suit? no way, guys!! 
I get why people are super concerned about this whole thing... like, who wants to see 50 million women & girls denied contraceptive care? 
. But is it really possible that all the other countries doing their own cuts to foreign aid will magically step in to fill the gap? 
. But can we also try to have some constructive conversations about how aid is being used & what the real priorities are? 
This is just getting out of hand... cutting foreign aid is a huge mistake, especially when it comes to women's health. It's like they're saying "good riddance" to people who need help the most 
What's next? Cutting aid for kids' education or healthcare? It's like they're saying "you know what, we don't care about all those people over there"... 
But I guess that's just too much to ask from some folks... 
they're the ones on ground makin it happen. US gov gotta rethink priorities, 2030 projections don't sound good 
The UK, Germany, Canada... are they next?! 
14 million deaths worldwide by 2030 projected from defunding US foreign aid 
The US gov must reconsider its approach to foreign aid & prioritize women's lives & well-being 
.
So now we're seeing the real impact of Trump-esque 'America First' policies 
... or should I say 'America Alone'? 
It's like they're playing a game of 'Global Roulette', where women's lives are the stakes. 
, we need more funding for these orgs ASAP