The foreign aid freeze and dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) are inflicting tremendous pain on the world’s most vulnerable, including women and girls. U.S. foreign assistance comprises less than 1 percent of the federal budget, yet it accounts for 40 percent of aid globally and reaches nearly 122 million people in serious need, including life-saving humanitarian aid. Many of the terminated grants funded essential maternal health care, protection from violence, treatment for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and other critical services in some of the world’s most brutal conflict zones. The withdrawal of funding is having a catastrophic impact on organizations dedicated to advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) has been in close contact with peacebuilders on the frontlines who serve as mediators, community leaders, and first responders. Many report major disruptions to their vital work. Below is an overview of reports we have received from partners on the ground. We also include ways you can help.
Women-Led Peacebuilding
Key efforts led by women peacebuilders have been severely undermined by recent funding cuts. As many local organizations struggle to stay afloat, the setbacks jeopardize years of progress in providing protection, civic education, community building, and justice to vulnerable communities.
- In Ukraine, USAID’s abrupt funding closure sent shockwaves throughout the war crimes investigations and prosecutions sector, particularly impacting newer organizations. NGOs like Lingvalex that work to ensure justice for women survivors of CRSV and investigate other war crimes are at risk of dissolution. Although Lingvalex was not directly funded by USAID, key partners have canceled projects in which the organization was involved, underscoring the cascading impacts of cuts. In the rush to secure alternative funding, larger and better-connected organizations quickly captured available grants, leaving smaller, community-based organizations further sidelined. Donate to Lingvalexa
- Funding cuts have also severely impacted organizations working to support women veterans and servicewomen in Ukraine, jeopardizing essential activities such as reintegration programs, mental and legal support, community building, and efforts to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. Without sustained support, these critical initiatives are at risk. As Iryna Nykorak from the Ukrainian organization Armwomennow noted, the funding cuts are “not just a setback for the programs—it risks reversing the hard-won progress we’ve made in visibility, equity, and policy advocacy for women in the defense and security sectors.” Donate to Armwomennow
- Mazaya Center, a women-led initiative established in 2016 in northwestern Syria that provides vocational training and educational courses for women, faces severe disruptions following the suspension of U.S.-funded humanitarian and development projects. Within days of the decision, all activities came to a halt, forcing the suspension of professional training courses for women, psychological support services, legal assistance, and civic engagement programs. These cuts have significantly impacted the center’s ability to support and empower women in targeted communities, leaving approximately 80% of planned activities—originally scheduled to run until mid-2025—on hold.
- In Israel and the Palestinian territories, Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun—a prominent women-led initiative that brings together Palestinian and Israeli women —were recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. They have been forced to suspend some of their workshops. Women of the Sun is particularly facing serious financial strain. Donate to Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun
Women and Girls’ Education in Conflict Zones
Programs that invest in women’s education are severely affected, depriving women of support systems that enable them to secure their rights in fragile contexts.
- In Afghanistan, the Taliban have barred access to education for women and girls. The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), which educates Afghan students online, has announced the suspension of the spring 2025 semester due to the funding freeze. Further, more than 80 Afghan women who were pursuing higher education in Oman, Qatar, Pakistan and Uzbekistan after fleeing the Taliban now face an impending return to Afghanistan, exposing them to serious risk. Returning would not only abruptly end their education, but could subject them to persecution, forced marriage, imprisonment, or even violence under a regime that systematically denies women their basic rights. The women students will now require protection, financial support, and opportunities for resettlement in a safe country where they can continue their education.
- USAID also suspended scholarship funding for 400 college students from Myanmar, who fled the war-torn country to study at universities in Asia.
Gender-Based Violence
The suspension of U.S. foreign assistance has forced program closures, layoffs, and the suspension of critical support services for survivors of gender-based violence. As key networks collapse, vulnerable women and girls are left without essential protection and legal assistance.
- The Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health was forced to shut down its PSS Multidisciplinary Mobile Teams (MMTs) and Gender-Based Violence Response and Care Units (GBV RCUs)/Safe Spaces, which provided life-saving assistance in frontline cities of Ukraine. Halyna Skipalska, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health (UFPH) reported, “These closures have left over 10,000 people each month—women, girls, children IDPs and survivors of gender-based violence—without access to critical protection services such as psychosocial support, legal aid, and emergency assistance, while also displacing nearly 100 trained psychologists and social workers and dismantling trusted referral pathways built over years of frontline response.” Donate to the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health
- In Ethiopia, over 85 percent of civil society organizations have suspended operations due to the halt of USAID funds. Suspended projects directly impact women and girls, eliminating their access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, support for survivors of wartime sexual violence, and life-saving humanitarian aid.
- Asuda, one of Iraq’s most prominent NGOs focused on preventing violence against women and domestic violence, is facing the grim reality of limiting services offered through its network of Listening Centers in Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq. According to Asuda’s Director Khanim Latif, “This limitation significantly impacts the well-being of survivors of violence, who rely on these centers for essential support.” Asuda’s Listening Centers have served as vital hubs, providing psychosocial and legal assistance to survivors while also serving as key referral points for national and international NGOs assisting those in urgent need. Latif further emphasizes the importance of US support to civil society in Iraq.
- Nora Organization for Combating Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan is struggling to continue its critical work in amplifying women’s calls for justice in peacemaking, providing psychosocial support to survivors of sexual violence, assisting women living with HIV, and delivering psychological and economic support services to women in shelters across Sudan. Nora’s founder, Tahani Abbas, has described the current situation as “one of the darkest periods in recent history for Sudanese women and girls.”
- The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), a leading Sudanese civil society organization, has long depended on collaboration with volunteer-run community kitchens, emergency rooms, and frontline women’s networks, many of which primarily relied on support from USAID. These networks provided critical protection for women and girls, assisted survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and ensured access to sexual, reproductive, and mental health services. With funding gone, these networks will disintegrate, leaving victims in need without protection. Donate to Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa
The individuals and organizations leading emergency response and peacebuilding around the world need support to help sustain their essential services. By amplifying the message and donating to those in dire need of assistance, you can make a tangible difference for women at a critical time.
