The UK reduced its foreign aid and this has hit health and humanitarian work in fragile countries. Health services were already under pressure from conflict, displacement and climate shocks, so many people lost access to care.
In South Sudan, aid reductions in 2021 left around 200 health facilities without support, and clinics closed. In refugee camps, underfunding caused food ration cuts, medicine shortages and higher disease risk. Humanitarian groups warn that cuts to family planning and nutrition will reduce the number of people who receive help.
Difficult words
- foreign aid — money and help from one country to another
- humanitarian — related to help for people in crisis
- fragile — weak or likely to break or fail
- displacement — when people must leave their homes
- underfunding — not enough money for a project or service
- shortage — a lack of needed things or suppliesshortages
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Discussion questions
- How might losing access to care affect a family in a fragile country?
- Why is support for family planning and nutrition important in humanitarian work?
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2025 aid cuts threaten health and humanitarian services
Large reductions in international aid in 2025 disrupted health and humanitarian services in many low- and middle-income countries. The cuts began with a US suspension of aid and led to the closure of USAID and wider global impacts.
