WITH USAID SHUT DOWN, WHAT’S NEXT?
If you keep up with the headlines, you’re probably aware that on January 20, 2025, an executive order was signed that effectively shut down USAID, the organization primarily responsible for providing U.S. humanitarian aid around the world. What you may not know is that, in recent years, Ukraine has been the largest recipient of assistance from USAID, totaling $35 billion worth of aid since the start of the invasion.
The support USAID had been providing for the Ukrainian people has been remarkably efficient: Every $1 spent by USAID for Ukraine was matched by $3 on average from donors and strategic philanthropic partnerships. Abruptly shutting off this pipeline of support will have grave ramifications for the Ukrainian people. Below, we will explore a few of USAID’s now-defunded initiatives in Ukraine.
Humanitarian Aid
Since the start of the invasion, USAID had provided $2.6 billion (matched by an additional $8 billion from other donors) in humanitarian aid in Ukraine. These critical initiatives include:
Funding to support a team of 42,000 volunteers to deliver emergency aid to the front lines
Funding to provide 16 million citizens with emergency food, shelter, health services, and safe drinking water
Funding and logistical support to evacuate residents from dangerous areas
Funding to provide aid to 7 million internally displaced people and 1 million people living in hard-to-reach areas near the front lines
Funding for nurses, teachers, and emergency responders to be paid for their services
Funding for schools and textbooks for Ukrainian children
Funding to support disabled veterans of the war
It’s worth noting that these initiatives were not only of great benefit to Ukraine, but also to the neighboring countries who are now managing the war refugee humanitarian crisis russia created in their countries and on their borders.
Agricultural Aid
russia’s blockade of the Black Sea ports at the start of the war prevented Ukraine from exporting millions of tons of grain to countries that face acute food insecurity, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The blockade posed a humanitarian threat on a global scale. It was largely thanks to the effort of USAID’s Ukraine Agriculture Resilience Initiative that a humanitarian corridor was put into place, allowing grain exports to resume to near pre-war levels
Every dollar USAID spent on Ukraine’s agricultural sector was matched by $6 dollars from our partners, unlocking a total of $2.3 billion in funding helping to alleviate the global food security crisis. This funding also helped close to 40% of Ukraine’s farmers to modernize crop production by providing seed, fertilizer, irrigation, and grain storage solutions that continue to help to alleviate some of the loss of agricultural output caused by russia’s invasion.
Energy Assistance
russian attacks against civilian energy infrastructure have put millions of Ukrainian citizens at risk of energy insecurity. USAID has provided Ukraine with $1.8 billion in energy assistance since the start of the invasion. This funding helped Ukraine secure equipment and materials to keep power, heat, and water flowing to millions of homes, boilers to heat critical facilities like schools and hospitals, trucks to repair power lines, and hundreds of miles of pipes and cables for repairs and development. And, just before the war, USAID had helped Ukraine synchronize with Europe’s energy grid instead of russia’s, a move that continues to help alleviate Ukraine’s energy deficit and power the homes of families who would otherwise be facing freezing winters without indoor heating.
Summary
While the above is by no means an exhaustive list of the support USAID provided to Ukraine, it highlights some of the critical but now defunded projects that were put in place to help alleviate suffering in Ukraine. As an organization dedicated to alleviating the suffering in Ukraine, this is, of course, a cause of great concern for us. There remains a persistent need for aid in Ukraine, and with the new administration signaling its intent to withdraw from that responsibility, a higher burden now falls upon us determined few who remember our values, and remember they are worth fighting for.
Sources:
Exit Memo: United States Agency for International Development, January 2025
TheBulwark.com, February 11, 2025
BetterWorldCampaign.org, February 11, 2025
