{"id":323955,"date":"1983-11-30T18:03:28","date_gmt":"1983-11-30T10:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tzuchiculture.org\/?p=323955"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:07:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T07:07:29","slug":"when-the-aid-dries-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/rhythms-monthly\/when-the-aid-dries-up\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Aid Dries Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In northern Uganda’s refugee settlements, the sudden cut in international funding has left classrooms empty, clinics without medicine, and livelihoods collapsing overnight.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Marita
Marita Goretti, 31, works with her daughter and sister at her restaurant in the Ogili community, Lamwo District. After aid cuts forced NGOs to leave, she lost her employees and now runs the business alone, earning a fraction of her former income.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When international aid is cut, it’s not just food and medicine that disappear\u2014so do jobs, classrooms, and hope. In northern Uganda’s refugee settlements, the collapse of local microeconomies after U.S. funding cuts has left thousands in dangerous uncertainty. Projects that once built paths to self-reliance now stand abandoned\u2014half-built, half-hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kitgum, near the South Sudan border, the consequences of the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID, a cornerstone of global humanitarian aid, remain devastating. Thousands of families who fled war now face hunger and despair. When the World Food Programme reduced food distribution to one million refugees, the ripple effects were immediate. The AVSI Foundation was forced to halt a project that had employed over 200 field officers, supported 13,000 households, and helped refugees start farms and small businesses. Overnight, livelihoods vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The decline in funding has had a range of adverse effects on refugees,” said UNHCR representative Jatuporn Lee, “including increased child neglect as parents seek livelihoods, rising theft, mental health and psychosocial concerns, higher land rents, illegal animal grazing triggering conflict between the host community and refugees, school dropouts, and gender-based violence\u2026These concerning vulnerability trends are clear indicators of growing vulnerability and underscore the urgent need for sustained donor support to promote protection and inclusion.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Teacher
Teacher Walter Odong, 36, continues working at a school in Palabek, though his contract and those of his colleagues depend on renewed funding. Since early 2025, 200 students have left because they can no longer pay fees once subsidized by aid. “Without education, the youth will go back and join the military or other armed groups,” he says. “We are killing their talent.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The aid programs had been designed not just to sustain, but to empower\u2014building dorms, water plants, and schools that employed both refugees and locals. When the aid disappeared, teachers volunteered without pay to keep classes open while parents could no longer afford school fees. Small restaurants and street vendors scaled back. The rhythm of daily life\u2014school, work, market\u2014broke down, leaving young people vulnerable to recruitment, trafficking, or exploitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The loss of humanitarian jobs wasn\u2019t just about income; it was a breach in the circle of poverty that traps families in crisis. Critics of the funding cuts were told that “life-saving aid” would remain untouched\u2014but life, for most refugees, is more than survival. When I met Viola, a 24-year-old pregnant woman who miscarried after malaria drugs failed to arrive at the clinic, I saw what happens when even brief interruptions in supplies become deadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Viola
Viola Duzman, 24, sits beside her husband, Taban Joseph, 27, in their hut with their two-year-old daughter, Jamila Annette. Three months pregnant, Viola miscarried after the clinic ran out of malaria medicine when funding froze. “I have pain in my heart for what happened to her,” says Taban.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“There is an absolute uncertainty in the future,” said Ugandan lawyer and human rights defender Nicholas Apiyo. “National and international organizations that depended on USAID have either closed or scaled down their operations. People are left with no continuous care, and many have already lost their lives\u2026 Although funding for life-saving aid partially resumed, the disruption left a heavy toll on the beneficiaries of treatment to cure Ebola, HIV, and malaria. A restoration enabling the supply chain to resume will take time, and lives will be lost in the process.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“However, as the United States’ soft power of attraction fades and meets international distrust, Uganda and many other African countries will likely strengthen their ties with Russia, India, Iran, and China. Not less hegemonic than the United States, those countries are seen as more predictable and less ‘schizophrenic,’ as Apiyo puts it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A man walks along a dirt road in the Palabek Refugee Settlement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Wadi Okollo and Terego Districts, where older projects continue, the results show what sustained support can achieve. Funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, AVSI’s STEP program improved stability through renewable energy and farming initiatives. Agricultural output rose 92%, renewable technology use reached 61%, and families reported higher incomes and stronger community ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local teachers and social workers spoke of “a race against time”\u2014where every month of support can mean the difference between a child learning to read or joining an armed group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lesson is clear: when investment is sustained, results follow. Aid doesn’t just save lives\u2014it sustains futures. When it disappears, so do the fragile beginnings of stability, and with them, the hope of recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In northern Uganda’s refugee settlements, the sudden cut in international funding has left classrooms empty, clinics without medicine, and livelihoods collapsing overnight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":323956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest nations, has seen a decade of collaboration between Tzu Chi and three nonprofit partners to aid the poor and vulnerable. Now, the focus is shifting toward self-sufficiency.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Volunteers from Tzu Chi's partner organizations in Sierra Leone lay stones over a muddy road to make it passable. In 2024, while delivering rice to the southeastern region, they encountered impassable roads due to heavy rain and had to find ways to continue their journey. (Courtesy of Tzu Chi Hualien headquarters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Passengers made their way to immigration after their plane touched down at Freetown International Airport in Sierra Leone. Among them was Tzu Chi USA volunteer Debra Boudreaux (\u66fe\u6148\u6167), who noted the airport's fully computerized systems, electric baggage carousels, and jet bridges. Such features are standard at most modern airports but a clear sign of progress compared to what she had seen on earlier visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recalled that during her first trip in 2016, the airport had no jet bridges and luggage was handled manually. Conditions beyond the airport also appeared underdeveloped. What struck her most on this visit, in February 2025, six years after her last in 2019, were the visible signs of development. \"Many new buildings were going up,\" she said. \"Nights were no longer pitch black but lit with lights, and local markets bustled with diverse activity. There has been progress in every aspect of daily life\u2014food, clothing, housing, transportation, agriculture, and commerce. It may be slow, but it is real and visible.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tzu Chi began its work in Sierra Leone in March 2015, responding to the Ebola outbreak by providing support to orphans, women, and people with disabilities. That effort sparked a decade-long partnership with local charitable organizations and sustained aid to various institutions. Today, Tzu Chi maintains an office in the country, with staff representing the foundation in government meetings and emergency relief efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2025, Johan Alwall (\u6b50\u53cb\u6db5) and Chu Yu-jia (\u891a\u4e8e\u5609) from Tzu Chi's headquarters in Taiwan traveled over 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) to join Debra Boudreaux for a 15-day visit. Together, they met with local organizations and partners to reflect on the past ten years' work and plan for future collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Koindu<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tzu Chi's connection to Sierra Leone can be traced back to Koindu, an agricultural town in the eastern part of the country, near the Liberian and Guinean borders. Koindu was one of the first areas in the nation affected by the 2013 Ebola outbreak, which ultimately claimed more than 10,000 lives across the three countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virus spread rapidly in Sierra Leone, exacerbated by a weak public health system, the practice of family members caring for the sick, and traditional customs such as washing the deceased. The country recorded the highest number of infections among the three nations. Thousands of children lost their parents, and fear of the highly lethal disease led to the stigmatization and rejection of survivors and victims' families by their own communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, Tzu Chi began working with Caritas Freetown and the Healey International Relief Foundation to distribute food, tableware, beds, blankets, and other supplies. The Lanyi Foundation joined in 2016. Each year, Tzu Chi applies to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture (formerly the Council of Agriculture) for humanitarian rice aid. Some of the rice is shipped to Sierra Leone for distribution, along with multigrain powder provided by the monastics at the Jing Si Abode, the Buddhist convent founded by Master Cheng Yen that also serves as the headquarters of Tzu Chi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koindu is about a five-hour drive from Freetown, including 52 kilometers (32 miles) of rough dirt roads that are difficult to navigate, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and especially during the rainy season. In September 2024, when a Caritas team delivered aid there, their truck became stuck, stranding them there for three days. They ended up relying on motorcycles from nearby villages to transport the supplies.
During their drive to Koindu on this trip, the visiting Tzu Chi team noted clear signs of change. Infrastructure improvements tied to China's Belt and Road Initiative were helping connect villages with better roads. Roadside vendors remained a familiar sight as they reached the outskirts of Koindu, but new additions included a police station and a mosque. Solar panels of various sizes dotted the landscape, providing electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a Saturday, so children were not in school. Some played outside their thatched homes, while others helped their parents with chores. Goats roamed freely along dirt paths. Women gathered to weave crafts or mix sand and soil to make bricks, preparing to expand their homes. Nearby, a group of mechanics repaired motorcycles\u2014the community's primary mode of transport. These scenes reflected signs of economic recovery in the impoverished village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Koindu has nine public schools, many children orphaned by Ebola still face discrimination and are denied access to education. \"What moved me most was Auntie Mary [Mary Sesay],\" said Debra Boudreaux. \"She founded an orphanage and a primary school to help these children rejoin society. Tzu Chi has supported the school since 2016 with rice and multigrain powder. The children are much healthier now.\"
Johan Alwall added that many orphans had been abandoned on the streets. Auntie Mary took it upon herself to find and care for them, ensuring they were fed and clothed, and placing them with foster families. Later, she even provided land for the construction of a school, which was named Smile With Us Primary School. During the team's visit, lessons written on the blackboard showed the students were receiving a solid education. One or two students were even pursuing university admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria, a teacher at the school, is an Ebola survivor. Though she recovered physically, the trauma remains. Grateful for Tzu Chi's years of support, she became a volunteer. In 2018, she traveled to Taiwan and met Master Cheng Yen in person. She continues to carry the Master's words in her heart and does her best to serve her community. She hopes the villagers will cherish and make good use of the support they've received from Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mobilized by Tzu Chi, Caritas, the Healey Foundation, and the Lanyi Foundation, residents in Kroo Bay clean up their community following flooding in August 2023. (Courtesy of Tzu Chi Hualien headquarters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1214,1217],"tags":[1223,726],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-323955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rhythms-monthly","category-rm2025","tag-1223","tag-rhythms-monthly"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323968,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323955\/revisions\/323968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323955"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=323955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}