Save the Children CEO Claims Trump's Aid Cuts Threaten the Lives of Millions of Kids Worldwide

CEO of Save the Children U.S., Janti Soeripto, said that President Donald Trump's foreign aid cuts threaten the lives of millions of children worldwide.

Soeripto said that the administration's efforts have had a devastating impact on millions of children worldwide. These impacts are not going to be felt in the future but are being felt right now.

Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

The situation has affected literacy programs and education programs for young children, which are being closed down. Soeripto said that he was in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year and observed an amazing program that USAID funded.

The program helped kids who were not able to identify a single letter in the alphabet, and within eight weeks, helped them read each other a story and explain it to their friends. Soeripto noted that the children involved in the program were between the ages of eight and 10 years, according to PBS News.

However, Trump's foreign aid cuts have terminated that particular program, resulting in more than 20,000 kids losing access to that level of education. This is only a small example of the more than 100 programs that have been affected by the latest developments.

The Save the Children CEO responded to concerns that the U.S. should not invest in the DRC or any random country for the education of children. She argued that it is a major opportunity for return on investment as it accounts for less than 1% of the federal budget but provides development and humanitarian assistance.

Soeripto added that millions of children's lives are now at risk because they will no longer have access to basic health care and basic mental health and psychosocial support services, among others, CTPost reported.

Suspension of Foreign Aid Programs

The foreign aid cuts come after Trump signed an executive order calling for a 90-day pause and review of foreign assistance programs. Several organizations filed lawsuits over the directive, noting that the suspension was unlawful.

Following this, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to distribute funds for aid work that had already been completed. However, the administration protested this to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In addition to affecting Save the Children's programs worldwide, President Trump's foreign aid cuts have also affected the workers of international aid groups. According to The Guardian, some of these groups have been forced to lay off thousands of workers due to a lack of funding.

Originally published on parentherald.com