One year ago, with the swipe of a pen, the United States froze foreign aid programs and began dismantling the critical infrastructure of global stability. Overnight, tens of billions of dollars of essential investments in health, food, and education in the world’s most fragile places were halted. In crisis settings already stretched to the breaking point, it crippled systems that keep people alive and safe, particularly women and girls.
In humanitarian crises, women and girls face disproportionate risks of violence and harm, but they also form the foundation of resilience and recovery. Maternal health services keep families intact. Programs for survivors of gender-based violence support peace and reconciliation. Education protects girls from early marriage and exploitation. Women-led organizations deliver aid, mediate conflict, and hold communities together long after international attention moves on.
These are not nice-to-have investments. They are essential, lifesaving services for women and girls, the load-bearing beams that hold fragile communities together and make countries safer and more prosperous.