Navyn Salem, the CEO of a Rhode Island-based producer of lifesaving foods for malnourished children, was in Sierra Leone last month when she got an email that made her heart drop.
It was a notice of the Trump administration’s 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign assistance. And Edesia — the nonprofit she founded that makes a high-calorie, nutrient-dense peanut paste known as RUTF, or ready-to-use therapeutic food — had just received two stop-work orders that would force it to pause its work for that period as the Trump administration reviews all U.S. foreign aid programs.
“We sat there speechless. We had just visited, 30 minutes earlier, a hospital that had boxes of RUTF in the corner that said ‘Made in Rhode Island’ and made it here to Sierra Leone. It was the only supply of lifesaving food for these children,” she said.
About the author
Tania Karas@TaniaKaras
Tania Karas is a Senior Editor at Devex, where she edits coverage on global development and humanitarian aid in the Americas. Previously, she managed the digital team for The World, where she oversaw content production for the website, podcast, newsletter, and social media platforms. Tania also spent three years as a foreign correspondent in Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon, covering the Syrian refugee crisis and European politics. She started her career as a staff reporter for the New York Law Journal, covering immigration and access to justice.
