Imagine a world without health supplies for 20 million HIV sufferers. What would happen if medicine and food support for vulnerable children disappeared, leaving them at war and disease. Picture struggling governments already weighed down by heavy debts, having to struggle much harder. This troubling scenario is starting to unfold as the United States halts major contributions to global aid efforts previously extended through USAID.

        The U. S, which holds the top spot on rolling money to support countries in far-off lands with diverse needs. Some of these programs support a great number of people. Others go to smaller groups that prioritize helping individuals in dire circumstances. The situation is alarming. There is less money to use for helping the thousands of kids and women who are the victims of violence. The group that helps prevent more people from getting HIV has reported dramatic cuts to almost 40% of its budget. Opinion is divided and confusion abounds, but the impact on people and organizations is known. This is not just a small setback but a potential collapse of aid services, which will affect approximately  20, 000, 000 people around the world.  The Governments of the world will need to rethink the structures that support its people. It has been said that there are ways to rebuild in progress, but building a supported society is like building a castle of blocks. Simply knocking out even one block can topple the whole structure.

        While this action by the U. S. may have been meant to punish other countries, it will have devastating effects on millions of people who depend on aid and may have a far greater impact on the world. The loss of funding has created a situation where decisions being made could send global efforts into a tailspin.  This sudden decision to freeze funding has left international organizations scrambling to figure out how to keep operations going. Governments and organizations worldwide are now faced with the urgent task of determining in what way they can help each other and what actions are best for each community.

        The money cut in the USAID budget may be seen by some as a great relief; however, it can certainly create a domino effect as the myriad organizations all over the world struggle to determine how they will do their work. Some organizations say they are uncertain what they can do to provide the necessary services, and some may even have to shut down. This cutback also puts many aid programs in peril. And the whole system could break down, leaving millions who depend on this assistance out in limbo.

        Imagine desperately sick, starving, and abused people, and changes affecting the global infrastructure they rely on to live.  We have seen cuts before. In times like these, people where forced to make some tough decisions when they lost a large portion of their budget. They had to make some serious decisions, which may put quite a few lives at risk. This is the reality of the devastating effects of this sudden budget change. It is likely that people will need to get creative or join forces to find alternative solutions. Who knows the toll of impact to the populations most vulnerable may have an impact on the world at large. Will we step up to provide assistance?

Help Cut Knocks Down Global Aid Network

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