Washington, DC —

For one small village for southwest Bangladesh, one woman wey dem dey call Ayesha Rahman, wey be 32-year-old mama of three pikin, don dey struggle for years to feed her children dem.

Malnutrition na silent wahala wey dey affect di small pikin dem, pregnant women, and di young girls for di country wey get plenty people pass. Clean water no dey plenty, and sanitation no too dey okay. Di wahala of bad health and poverty just dey go round and round like say e no go end.

But hope come show small when United States Agency for International Development (USAID) enter di matter. Di American humanitarian agency come dey help local health workers, empower women with better economic opportunities, and teach people about hygiene and sanitation to stop di malnutrition wahala.

Under di Feed di Future Bangladesh Nutrition Activity, USAID put $7 million for nutritional development, wey be part of di $400 million wey dem promise Bangladesh for di 2023 fiscal year.

For di first time, Ayesha begin see change. Her pikin dem begin get better food wey get nutrients. But last month, di funding just stop without any warning.

One executive order from di Trump administration on January 20, 2025, freeze all US foreign aid, and e stop projects like di one wey dey help Ayesha and other people get better life.

Di US government talk say dem dey close all di 80 USAID field offices for di world and reduce di number of staff dem, wey mean say di aid operations go stop for everywhere.

Di impact no waste time to show. Clinics no get resources again, outreach workers no fit work, and communities dey on dia own.

"Di sudden freeze on USAID funding don make people vex, confuse, and e dey cause plenty anxiety for di world," Peter Taylor, Director of International Development Studies for Sussex University, talk give TRT World.

"Di US na di biggest international aid donor. To stop di funding like dis don affect humanitarian and development work wey dey help di most vulnerable people — children, people wey get disability, and those wey get health wahala."

State of Limbo

About 3,000 kilometers from Bangladesh, for one small community center for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, teachers, healthcare workers, and parents dey try give children better life from di beginning.

Dem believe say if dem invest for children early, e fit change everything — to break di poverty wahala, dem need education, nutrition, and care from di start.

But di financial support wey dey keep programmes like "Connect Phum 5" project under Future Forum alive, dem just stop am suddenly because of Trump order. Training sessions no hold again, community-building initiatives stop, and tools wey dem suppose use no come.

For Malawi for Africa, one clinical trial for cervical cancer wey fit save plenty life don stop. For South Africa, di effort to treat children wey dey fight tuberculosis don dey limbo. For Ethiopia, di nutritional support for vulnerable communities don scatter.

"Dis na bad timing for di Ebola outbreak wey dey Uganda," Taylor talk.

"Di Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dey work with di World Health Organization (WHO) to track and stop di disease. To cut di funding now fit cause big wahala for global health security — and e go affect everybody."

Screen-and-Treat Method for Malawi

USAID support for di cancer "screen-and-treat" programme don change di game for Malawi.

Trained healthcare workers dey use acetic acid to check early signs of cervical cancer and treat di abnormal cells immediately with cryotherapy or thermocoagulation. Dis quick action dey very important for HIV-positive women for di East African nation, wey get higher risk.

But di recent stop for di trial activities because of di USAID funding freeze and di uncertainty about future funding don make people dey worry.

"For district hospitals for Malawi, cervical cancer screening and treatment dey free for all women. If dem no get another funding, e go be big setback and e go scatter di work wey don dey help plenty women get treatment on time," Dr Lillian Banda, public health specialist for Malawi, talk give TRT World.

"USAID steady investment don dey key to make sure say people dey get treatment on time for our communities. To stop di funding now fit spoil di progress wey we don make for di clinical work, and e go leave vulnerable women for Malawi without di life-saving screening wey dem need."

"We fit see more preventable cervical cancer cases wey dem for treat early," Dr Banda warn.

Pause on Follow-Up Care

For researchers and aid workers, di decision no just be financial wahala — e be moral and professional crisis. Years of work don enter di projects. Now, dem dey stuck for di middle of policy decisions and di lives wey dem dey try improve.

Taylor share one example: "Our colleagues dey do workshop for India, dey work with communities to improve sanitation and access to clean water. Di participants travel far, leave dia daily work to come.

"Then, for di middle of di project, dem get stop order. Everything just stop immediately. Di frustration big. People wey don invest dia time and hope just waka go back, dia needs no meet."

Meanwhile, di biggest US government workers' union and one association of foreign service workers don sue di Trump administration for di action wey dem take against USAID.

Di lawsuit wey dem file for Washington, DC, Federal Court by di American Federation of Government Employees and di American Foreign Service Association last week dey seek order to block wetin dem call "unconstitutional and illegal actions" wey don cause "global humanitarian crisis."

Taylor, wey sabi global research partnerships well, talk say, "Di US don dey play stabilising role for di world by providing aid and support for things like vaccines, medicines, sanitation, clean water, and nutrition. Na dem dey help build di foundation for healthier and more stable world."

E pause before e add, "We dey look US to find dia way back to di leadership role before di damage wey dem don cause go too much."