The Children Left Behind in Global Health Cuts

The Trump administration has taken a chainsaw to foreign aid, including many health programs. Billions of dollars were lost almost overnight.

Journalists Catherine Offord, Jon Cohen, and Martin Enserink have investigated the effects of these cuts on communities and health systems, and in particular on the well-being of children. Their reports focus on malnutrition in Nepal, HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Eswatini, and malaria in Guinea.

The three reports show how the abrupt departure of the United States has ended crucial programs and put children’s lives at risk. They also document how the complicated fabric of health aid and development—which includes donor countries, local partners, nongovernmental organizations, and international agencies like the World Health Organization—has suddenly been torn apart, eroding trust and destroying collaborations that have taken many years to build.

Offord, Cohen, and Enserink also describe how leaders are attempting to fill the enormous gaps.