When the UK reduced its aid, health services and humanitarian work in fragile countries suffered. Conflict, displacement and climate shocks were already straining systems, and the timing matters because needs rose while support fell. A year ago the UK cut the aid budget further, from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of national income.
In South Sudan, UK reductions in 2021 left around 200 health facilities, including major hospitals, without support. Clinics closed, health workers went unpaid and people lost access to lifesaving care. In Bangladesh’s Rohingya camps, chronic underfunding led to food ration cuts, medicine shortages and a sharp rise in severe acute malnutrition among children.
Humanitarian groups warn of wider harms: missed vaccinations, closed maternity wards and faster disease spread. Repairing the damage will need predictable, flexible, locally led funding and action on debt and financing barriers.
Difficult words
- aid — money or help for people in need
- fragile — weak and easily damaged, not stable
- displacement — when people are forced to leave their homes
- underfunding — not enough money provided for a service
- malnutrition — serious lack of needed food or nutrients
- predictable — able to be known or expected before it happens
- locally led — run and decided by people in the same area
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can predictable and flexible funding help health services after aid cuts? Give one or two reasons.
- What local actions could communities take to reduce harm when international aid falls?
- Have you seen any local health services struggle because of funding problems? Describe what happened and why.
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