Local organizations share exactly how the USAID funding cuts caused devastation in their communities—and how they are finding new pathways forward anyway.
Across the globe, local leaders are standing tall amidst crises, fighting to protect education, health, dignity, and hope in their communities. But what happens when the support they count on disappears overnight?
Local organizers share how the USAID funding has affected their communities, and what they’re doing to keep proven solutions alive.
Dalhatu Musa Liman, community organizer and Executive Director of Humanity and Community Development Foundation, remembers the moment he realized his foundation’s programs would be directly affected by the USAID funding cuts.
“We felt crushed. We thought of the 100 young girls we promised education scholarships to—bright, determined, and hopeful. We thought of the girls in Saminaka who [still] fetch dirty water every morning instead of going to school. We thought of the small green shoots planted by children under our Green Zamfara Initiative, who dreamed of a cooler, greener future.”
“These weren’t just projects. They were promises, and we feared breaking them.”
Dalhatu’s message to donors is simple: You’re not just funding a project—you’re saving dreams. ”You are helping Fatimah stay in school. You are giving Aisha clean water. You are planting peace in a land too familiar with conflict.”
“We know you’re stretched. We know there are many needs. But we’re asking: Don’t turn away from the community builders who are holding the line.”
“We are still here, with our hands in the soil, our hearts in the work, and our eyes on a better tomorrow.”
You can support their work by donating to one of their active projects on GlobalGiving—from constructing boreholes to planting trees and providing scholarships.
Real Raymond, a local living in rural Uganda who is a longtime LGBTQ+ activist and Founder of the Mbarara Rise Foundation, faced a similar crisis.
“The funding freeze didn’t just cut off resources, it cut off hope. For the first time, we had to tell LGBTQ+ individuals in crisis that we might not be able to help.”
Mbarara Rise Foundation operates five drop-in centers across southwestern Uganda—offering HIV treatment, legal aid, trauma counseling, and a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals. After funding stopped, they had to close their doors on all five centers, which also meant closing their lifelines to people like Brian, a 31-year-old gay man living with HIV in western Uganda.
“It was heartbreaking, but it also pushed us to find new ways to serve with almost nothing.”
Real reached out to our team, and the GlobalGiving Community Aid Fund swiftly distributed a grant to help them reopen two of their five centers, meaning Brian was able to continue his treatment.
“Today, Brian is [feeling] healthy and now supports others in the community to stay on treatment.”
However, critical work is still left to be funded.
“Our team has had to scale back operations. Staff members took pay cuts, and outreach activities were paused in more remote districts. Volunteers stepped up, but the demand is growing and the needs are urgent.”
“It’s not enough, but it’s something,” Real said.
We want to help them reach enough. A donation to the Mbarara Rise Foundation is, as Real reminds us, “Not just about dollars, it’s about solidarity. We ask donors to stand with us. Your support helps us save lives, restore dignity, and keep people alive who are too often forgotten.”
“When the funding stopped, everything paused,” said Mic Mercado of CDP Foundation. “Communities were left in limbo.”
In the northern Philippine island of Luzon where CDP is based, the nonprofit’s disaster preparedness efforts stalled after the USAID halt. Long-time staff members were let go. Plans dissolved midstream.
And yet, amid this crisis, Mic offers a practical vision: one where aid is not parceled out in six-month chunks, but rooted in relationships, led by communities, and supported with flexible, long-term trust.”
A system where, as Mic says, “we don’t prescribe agendas,” but instead, “we listen, learn, and build together. Mic’s critiques of the traditional aid model reminds us that a crisis can be a wake-up call into a better way.
“Philippines culture is very alive, but the current development model really undermines that. We need to assess what has been changed for the worse—and mend and heal from that, so we can birth a new system.”
The work CDP supports is rooted in helping communities heal, rebuild, and thrive on their own terms, without losing sight of their culture, identity, and values. This healing process isn’t just about physical infrastructure, but about empowering communities to decide their own future.
Despite the uncertainty, Mic remains grounded in something deeper than funding cycles: community, creativity, and a belief in people’s ability to rebuild from within.
Before the USAID cuts, Neary was back in school. Her younger sister Sreypich, who lives with a disability, was learning to feed herself and get dressed. Their mother had reduced her hours at a construction site to care for both girls. For the first time in a long time, things were looking up.
This progress wasn’t accidental—it came from deep human support provided by Children’s Future International (CFI), a community-based organization in Battambang, Cambodia. When the family faced an impossible choice—send one daughter to an institution so the other could go to school—CFI stepped in. Emergency cash assistance and in-home therapy helped the girls grow and stay together.
But when USAID cut funding, CFI lost $50,000 from a critical social work program. Without that support, the family’s stability is at risk. They’re now considering migration—a move that could derail both girls’ progress.
We can’t let short-term funding cuts erase long-term gains. Join GlobalGiving’s Community Aid Fund to help families like Neary’s stay strong, stay together, and build a better future.
That was the final sentiment Ahmed Alqadhi of SYS Organization shared during a recent webinar with GlobalGiving CEO Victoria Vrana.
Ahmed leads SYS Organization in Yemen, where the sudden halt in USAID funding has intensified an already dire situation. With over 80% of the population in need of aid and more than 3 million children now out of school, the challenges are overwhelming. Yet, Ahmed and his team persist—launching community-driven projects that prioritize education and livelihoods, two things the funding cuts have taken away from so many.
“We cannot overcome the situation overnight, but we are trying.”
Despite the uncertainty, Ahmed remains focused. For him, the people they serve aren’t just beneficiaries.
“We are talking about difficult things, but the work continues, when you are talking about serving your neighbors, family, friends.”
At the heart of their response is a commitment to education—what Ahmed calls “the shortest way to peace.” Programs like “Feeding 1,000 Girls in Yemen” are helping girls stay in school despite the upheaval.
“Educate a girl, educate a nation,” Ahmed shared, underscoring the long-term vision behind their efforts.
SYS is also responding to the USAID cuts by expanding their programs to include microfinance and vocational training so young people can have a chance to build financial independence and stability during these uncertain times.
These community leaders are many miles apart, working on different issues in different countries. But they share a common reality: local leaders often carry the heaviest burdens when global crises hit home.
These stories barely scratch the surface. Thousands of community leaders are doing everything they can to support their communities, like Donaldo Zúniga of Red Comal, who is building sovereign food systems with Indigenous communities in Honduras and the ever-courageous team at the Support Yemeni Society Organization, who rise to serve their neighbors and community members in Yemen amid many compounding disasters.
In this moment of crisis, we believe these leaders should be focusing on what they do best—working alongside their communities—not tied to fundraising appeals and grant applications. Your donation to the Community Aid Fund is an investment in the resilience of a global web of local solutions.
This is not about funding isolated projects. It’s about investing in a far-reaching network that empowers communities to grow, adapt, and thrive on their own terms.
For more than 20 years, we’ve seen firsthand how this model works.
Your donation today can help reopen classrooms, restore clinics, and revive hope. It takes only a few clicks—but for someone on the other end, it might mean everything.
“When we invest in local leaders—when we fund them directly, flexibly, and with trust—they don’t just survive uncertainty. They find ways to build a better future.” — Victoria Vrana, GlobalGiving CEO
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