How Businesses Can Help Civil Society Recover From Usaid Freeze

When US President Donald Trump ordered an immediate USAID freeze earlier this month, it sent shockwaves across Africa.

The stoppage has the potential to create a 12bn shortfall in aid for the most vulnerable people across Africa, with projects in healthcare and agriculture greatest affected.

As leaders of civil society organisations in Africa, we are deeply concerned by the impact this is already having on already vulnerable children and families.

As members of the Family For Every Child global alliance of locally-led organisations, we are witnessing across our membership and our movement how the abrupt funding suspension is disrupting essential services and eroding the gains made in the previous years' programing. The worst may yet be to come, and we are currently suspended in a holding pattern. All we can do is wait to understand the full impact of the USAID changes.

A survey we launched soon after the freeze order indicates that 80-90 of the African children and families our members work with are expected to be directly affected. This includes loss of healthcare, nutrition, child protection services, disruption in education and an increase in gender based violence. Furthermore, 88 of staff working for these African locally-led organisations are likely to be impacted.