The recent cuts to USAID funding, particularly in regions already struggling with the ongoing legacies of colonialism, imperialism, and neoliberal policies, represent a serious threat to women, girls, and gender diverse folks, especially in the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. These cuts are part of a broader trend of reducing U.S. foreign aid, reflecting a colonial mindset that perpetuates global power imbalances. They suggest that the lives and futures of people in the Global Majority are only valued when they serve the strategic interests of powerful nations, reinforcing a system where wealth and decision-making remain concentrated in the hands of the few. But this is not only about money; it is about the erosion of life-saving support for communities that have historically been underfunded and exploited.
The U.S. occupies the contradictory role of both primary military intervener in SWANA, whose air campaigns and arms exports have destabilized states, shattered infrastructure, and catalyzed humanitarian crises, and major donor through agencies like USAID that fund relief and reconstruction. For instance, in Yemen, the U.S-backed coalition’s bombing of civilian infrastructure helped precipitate one of the world’s worst famines, yet U.S. humanitarian aid agencies subsequently poured hundreds of millions of dollars into food assistance and basic health services. This dual identity not only obscures accountability for the violence it enables but also entrenches a cycle in which U.S policy creates crises that U.S aid then seeks to ameliorate, reinforcing structural dependencies and masking the very power imbalances at the heart of the region’s suffering.
In countries across SWANA, from post-Al-Assad Syria to the Israeli genocide in Gaza, wars in Sudan, and Lebanon, these cuts have devastating consequences. Maternal health services are being slashed, rape treatment programs discontinued, and safe spaces shuttered. In places where over 70% of women in humanitarian settings experience GBV, these funding reductions leave survivors more vulnerable than ever.
For example, feminist collectives in Gaza report the closure of shelters and trauma centers critical for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), with no alternative resources to fill the void. In Lebanon, feminist collectives reported through an internal needs assessment that the majority of their clients lost access to mental health support. In Sudan, the dismantling of women-led rural healthcare cooperatives has left entire provinces without maternal care, contributing to a spike in preventable deaths among internally displaced women.
With the termination of key funding streams like the $377 million to UNFPA, we see the closure of critical programs that once provided protection, safety, and care to the most vulnerable. These cuts are violent. This reduction of support is a direct attack on women’s autonomy and their right to heal and rebuild their lives. The message sent by these actions is clear: women’s lives are expendable, and their rights are secondary to political and economic interests.
Structural Erosion and Systems of Violence
The damage extends beyond immediate services. Health systems on the brink are pushed further into collapse. Cuts to programs like PEPFAR and maternal health initiatives leave survivors without essential medical and psychological care. The African CDC warns these setbacks risk millions of preventable deaths. In Sudan and surrounding areas, social infrastructure erosion leads to deeper poverty, displacement, and heightened vulnerability to exploitation. In Yemen, the cessation of reproductive health services supported by foreign aid has contributed to a maternal mortality rate that now ranks among the highest in the region. In Tunisia and Egypt, grassroots feminist groups report that without flexible core funding, they’ve had to scale down legal aid clinics that support survivors of intimate partner violence. These outcomes are a direct product of global systems that refuse to recognize the full humanity of the Global Majority.
While USAID’s approach often replicates colonial power structures, feminist groups in the SWANA region continue to navigate this funding landscape, leveraging available resources even as we demand more just and equitable alternatives. We recognize this tension between critique and practical realities, where reliance on such funding is fraught but necessary, highlighting the urgent need for systemic change.
A Call for Decolonized and Intersectional Support
This moment calls not for passivity but bold action. Private philanthropy must step in to fill gaps left by shrinking state aid, supporting feminist movements that embody resilience and justice, especially in SWANA, where women’s rights have long been marginalized.
To move beyond performative allyship and toward transformative solidarity, philanthropy must adopt tangible, decolonial, and intersectional funding practices, including:
- Pooled grants are managed by local feminist coalitions to ensure resources are directed by those closest to the struggles.
- Multi-year, unrestricted funding that allows collectives to set priorities rooted in community needs rather than donor agendas.
- Regular participatory evaluations led by SWANA-led advisory councils to ensure accountability and responsiveness.
- Funding reparative initiatives that address the harm caused by conditional aid and align with feminist principles of justice and self-determination, such as reparations for colonial extractions and support for healing justice practices.
At the same time, feminist movements must develop sustainable, self-sufficient funding models grounded in grassroots fundraising, local partnerships, and innovative, women-centered enterprises. Reducing dependence on conditional, politically volatile aid is essential for long-term autonomy and impact.
The cuts to USAID funding are a continuation of colonial patterns that disregard and devalue the lives and leadership of women and gender diverse people in the Global Majority. As feminists, we are responsible for demanding accountability, standing in solidarity with affected communities, and building sustainable, decolonized systems of support that honor the expertise and agency of SWANA feminists.
A Clear Call to Action
We call on bilateral donors and philanthropic partners to immediately freeze conditional funding and co-create an emergency support mechanism managed by SWANA women’s networks.
We call on private philanthropy to rise to the occasion by investing in feminist-led movements with justice, equity, and care at their core.
We call on feminist movements themselves to lead the way in building self-sustaining, autonomous financial futures that center our values and leadership.
The future is feminist. It is time to ensure that the future is possible, on our terms, by our leadership, and with our resources.
