Since the writing of this article in February 2025, the status of the U.S freeze on aid has changed. However, it still raises many questions
US international aid represents 42% of global aid and just 1% of the US budget. When this aid is suddenly halted—along with nearly 5,000 USAID grants—critical networks that prevent starvation, the spread of disease, and preventable death due to inadequate healthcare during pregnancy, among other things, are paralysed.
For communities in Syria and Afghanistan, where decades of war and recent political shifts leave a majority of the population dependent on aid, the consequences are catastrophic.
In Syria, 14 years of war have left 16.5 million people (7.4 million displaced) in need of aid, with 25% of that funding in 2024 coming from the US. In northeast Syria, 700,000 people rely on aid for food and water, while another 430,000 in the northwest are similarly dependent. In camps like Al Hol, which holds 40,000 wives, children, and relatives of ISIS fighters alongside displaced Syrians, the US provided 40% of the funding for essentials like food, water, sanitation, and medical care. Those within the camp are not allowed to leave and as clinics within Al-Hol and neighbouring camps were disbanded in March 2025, camp residents are left with no income and no options for medical care. While a waiver was given for the Al-hol aid work, these illusive waivers and lack of funds, create a volatile environment ripe for a resurgence of ISIS.
The recent collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 brought hope to some Syrians, leading to approximately 125,000 refugees returning to Syria. However, another 100,000 fled in fear of the new regime. Kurdish refugees are hesitant to return due to threats from Syrian rebel groups and Turkish forces.
In Sudan, the US provided 50% of the aid needed to address the world’s largest hunger, displacement, and childhood education crisis. Since the aid halt, hundreds of Sudanese community kitchens have been forced to close, leaving 8 million people at risk of starvation, while 5 million are now without access to healthcare.
In Afghanistan, US aid funded over 40% of family planning efforts, preventing the deaths of over 34,000 women and girls due to pregnancy complications in 2024. However, with the closure of mobile clinics and family health houses, 8,000 women and girls are now at risk of dying during childbirth, an outcome that would have been preventable with continued aid.
Thirty family health houses and mobile clinics, that function as the only source of healthcare for women in remote regions, closed.
On a global scale, the USAID-funded FEWS Net famine early warning system, which helps guide humanitarian funding, has also been shut down. The withdrawal of US aid further destabilises regions like Yemen, Palestine, and Syria.
The freeze on US humanitarian aid has raised crucial questions about how to shift our approach to relief and community development. How can permaculture principles help guide a more diversified and regenerative humanitarian aid sector? What roles can alternative economies and disaster preparedness plans play in helping communities during these disruptive moments?
By Kayla Hatcher
Status of U.S. aid freeze (as of May 2025)
In January 2025, President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign aid, including USAID programs, affecting countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and others. This freeze led to the termination of nearly 10,000 USAID and State Department contracts and grants, disrupting critical services such as healthcare, nutrition, and emergency relief .Reuters+1The Guardian+1Center For Global Development+3USAID ALUMNI ASSOCIATION+3Front page – US+3
While some waivers were granted for “lifesaving” programs, many humanitarian efforts remained halted due to bureaucratic challenges and logistical issues .The New Humanitarian+1The Guardian+1
Image from Good Governance Africa
https://gga.org/a-silver-lining-the-us-aid-freeze-should-spur-nigeria-to-greater-self-reliance/