Afghanistan’s eastern provinces are still reeling from last week’s powerful earthquake and continuing aftershocks. The magnitude 6.0 earthquake left hospitals overflowing, mountain roads blocked, and relief operations stretched thin. The disaster has underscored how the withdrawal of U.S. Agency for International Development funding has left the country far more vulnerable to catastrophe.
For decades, USAID spearheaded programs that did more than respond to emergencies — they built infrastructure ahead of time. From funding rural health clinics and training midwives to backing food security programs and supporting logistics operations that could reach remote mountain villages, USAID’s footprint often focused on prevention. In Afghanistan, that helped to bolster their ability to withstand shocks before they struck.
Now, much of that safety net is gone.
About the author
Jesse Chase-Lubitz
Jesse Chase-Lubitz covers climate change and multilateral development banks for Devex. She previously worked at Nature Magazine, where she received a Pulitzer grant for an investigation into land reclamation. She has written for outlets such as Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and The Japan Times, among others. Jesse holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.
