Article shared by Tom McDermott
Kristof "As the world’s richest men slash American aid for the world’s poorest children, they insist that all is well."
Elon Musk "No one has died as a result of a brief pause to do a sanity check on foreign aid funding,” “No one.”
In reply to Muck, Kristof cites the recent death of a 10 year old orphan in South Sudan who suddenly could not obtain the drugs keeping him alive from HIV. This was one child, but Kristof estimates that some 1.6 million people could die in the coming year if the flow of HIV drugs is not restored.
As Kristof says, "I find it odious when the world’s richest man cackles about America shoving programs for needy children “into the “wood chipper.” When you meet those dying children and look into their eyes and hold their hands and feel faint heartbeats flutter, you can’t bear the gleeful laughter. You see children just like your own and hang your head in shame.
This article is in 'interactive' format with charts and photos. If you are not able to open the link below, please let us know. We will try to find a solution.
Tom
Click here for the article
Summary
Nicholas Kristof reports on the dire humanitarian consequences of the Trump administration and Elon Musk's efforts to defund U.S. foreign aid, particularly the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These cuts have already led to deaths in South Sudan and other vulnerable regions, where American aid previously provided life-saving medical treatment, food assistance, and maternal care.
Children like Peter Donde and Achol Deng, both born with HIV, survived due to American aid but died after losing access to medications when USAID operations were shut down. Health workers warn that the crisis will deepen as supply chains collapse and medical programs shut down, potentially leading to millions of preventable deaths from HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and malnutrition.
Kristof highlights the geopolitical and moral implications of these cuts: reducing aid weakens U.S. influence while empowering rivals like China, and could lead to new security threats. He argues that USAID’s budget—just 0.24% of U.S. gross national income—has been one of America’s most effective tools for saving lives and promoting stability.
Click here for the article
Summary
Nicholas Kristof reports on the dire humanitarian consequences of the Trump administration and Elon Musk's efforts to defund U.S. foreign aid, particularly the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These cuts have already led to deaths in South Sudan and other vulnerable regions, where American aid previously provided life-saving medical treatment, food assistance, and maternal care.
Children like Peter Donde and Achol Deng, both born with HIV, survived due to American aid but died after losing access to medications when USAID operations were shut down. Health workers warn that the crisis will deepen as supply chains collapse and medical programs shut down, potentially leading to millions of preventable deaths from HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and malnutrition.
Kristof highlights the geopolitical and moral implications of these cuts: reducing aid weakens U.S. influence while empowering rivals like China, and could lead to new security threats. He argues that USAID’s budget—just 0.24% of U.S. gross national income—has been one of America’s most effective tools for saving lives and promoting stability.
Bless Nick Kristoff for this first-hand reporting from the frontlines of the carnage being inflicted on the world's poorest by billionaires in Washington.
ReplyDeleteHow American/humane values are being sacrificed callously in the name of fighting "waste, fraud and abuse"; and how the whole humanitarian and global health infrastructure is being demolished in the name of "reform".
Reports from the frontline in the world's poorest countries and communities indicate that the so-called "waiver" granted to NGOs and others during the 3-month review pause is a dysfunctional fig leaf.