Trump’s gutting of USAID sends chill through Southeast Asia
Trump’s gutting of USAID sends chill through Southeast Asia
NGOs across Southeast Asia say they will struggle to continue their work without US funding.
Author: Unknown
Published on: 07/02/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Cambodia’s Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance was unexpectedly informed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that all funding for its tuberculosis programme had been put on hold for 90 days. KHANA, as the NGO is more commonly known, detects about 10,000 tubersis cases each year. With funding drying up, many rural Cambodians will soon lose care, Chamreun said. The agency operates in six out of Southeast Asia’s 11 countries. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The level of economic development varies considerably across the region. USAID employee asks not to be named due to fears of professional repercussions. "They’re bleeding the programmes dry because, per USAID regulation, for an NGO, you’re not allowed to have more than a 30-day reserve of funding," the employee says. Some members of the NGO community, and even some supporters of USAID, have acknowledged the agency does need reform.
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