Fatehiyya Mohamed Adam is a Sudanese refugee who initially fled the war in 2023 and then experienced the tragedy of losing everything after a fire devastated her refugee camp near the Chad-Sudan border. HIAS, an NGO dedicated to supporting refugees, was unable to assist her due to a suspension of its operations resulting from substantial foreign aid cuts announced by the U.S. government in January.

We ventured to the remote Aboutengue Camp in Chad, where the resources for tens of thousands of refugees, mainly women and children, have abruptly ceased. HIAS had been providing crucial support to these refugees, but despite the lifting of its work suspension in early March, it remains uncertain which programs will continue to receive funding and for what duration.

One woman, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, shared how HIAS intervened after a violent incident with her husband. She currently resides with her husband and toddler and had been receiving family counseling from the NGO, but they have had to freeze the salaries of their workers and suspend counseling sessions for her and other victims of gender-based violence.

Almost everywhere within the Aboutengue Camp, we encountered individuals who depend heavily on U.S. foreign aid on a daily basis. Schools, such as this one operated by Jesuit Refugee Services, were a lifeline for over 32,000 students like Kawsar Mahamat Yakub before its sudden closure in January. A month later, some of its teachers returned to volunteer or work for minimal pay, but more than half of the students had disappeared, and it remains uncertain how much longer the school can remain operational.

As of March, the Trump administration has eliminated 83 percent of U.S.AID programs and 40 percent of State Department grants, citing widespread waste and claiming that they do not serve U.S. interests. These cuts total tens of billions in overall U.S. assistance worldwide.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/africa/100000010056183/trump-foreign-aid-sudan-refugees.html