When Aid Dries Up, Girls Pay the Price

As governments cut foreign aid, programs that kept girls in school and women out of poverty vanish, leaving lasting scars on communities.

By Divya Joseph, Girl Rising's Associated Director of Communications & Community Engagement

Mary stood in her small home, staring up at the roof riddled with holes, wondering what her future held.  Recently divorced, something deeply taboo in the Maasai community, she was left to fend for herself in a society where men were expected to be the breadwinners. Each day was a battle against poverty, fear, and the crushing question: How will I take care of my girls?

Then came a glimmer of hope. A local nonprofit visited her village and offered her work at a tree nursery. The job gave her income, dignity, and a mission to fight climate change while supporting her family.  Soon, she was earning enough to move her daughters into a safer home. Scholarships from the organization even ensured her girls could continue their education. For the first time in years, Mary allowed herself to dream of a brighter future.

Mary’s journey is part of the Tupende Mazingira tree nursery program, led by Future Rising Fellow Collins Busuru through his work at the nonprofit CHD Conservation Kenya. Over the last three years, the program has planted 86,000 trees across 41 schools, trained Maasai women in leadership, and mentored girls to value their education and learn from women role models. Now, with international aid pulled back, the program has been forced to cut staff, scale down school outreach, and cancel girls’ mentorship camps—leaving ripple effects across the community.

Mary’s story is just one example of what’s at stake as global development funding shrinks. What begins as a budget cut on paper can erase opportunities, futures, and hard-won progress for women and girls on the ground. We cannot stand by while these losses unravel lives and leave lasting damage to the fabric of our societies.

The Cuts That Shook the World

In January 2025, President Donald Trump's administration issued an Executive Order, effectively freezing all foreign aid for 90 days and dismantling many of USAID’s core functions. What followed was a wholesale rollback of U.S. development assistance. Tens of thousands of USAID staff were laid off, over $7 billion in international funding was rescinded, and gender equity programs were shelved across dozens of countries. Programs supporting girls’ education were among the most severely impacted.

And the U.S. wasn’t alone. The U.K. slashed its overseas aid budget by nearly £4 billion. Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands also pulled back, citing reasons such as domestic priorities, political shifts, and budget constraints. It was a domino effect, and the people crushed beneath it weren’t the ones making the decisions.

They were girls. Millions of them.

School Closures. Early Marriages. A Widening Gender Gap

Save the Children estimates that 1.8 million children, the majority of them girls, lost access to school-based support in 21 countries this year due to funding cuts. In parts of rural Ethiopia, Uganda, and Somalia, schools that once offered safe spaces, sanitary supplies, and meals have closed or drastically reduced services.

In South Asia, initiatives that trained teachers in gender-responsive education, which have long been shown to improve retention for girls, have been quietly abandoned as funding dried up.

Without these supports, girls are more likely to drop out. Many face pressure to enter the workforce, take on domestic labor, or marry early. 

The UCLA Center for Global Health estimated that by 2030, the foreign aid cuts could contribute to more than 14 million excess deaths, many of them preventable, and many tied to the collapse of education and health infrastructure.

This is not just a crisis. It is an unacceptable failure of our global commitment to children.

It’s Bigger Than Budgets, It’s About What We Value

We’ve known for decades that educating girls is one of the best things we can do for global progress. According to the World Bank, if every girl received 12 years of quality education, countries could gain between US $15 trillion and $30 trillion in lifetime productivity and earnings. 

But the benefits don’t stop there. Education strengthens resilience to climate shocks, with each extra year of schooling raising a country’s climate resilience by 1.6 to 3.2 points, and educated communities suffering fewer losses during disasters.

The message is clear: girls’ education reduces poverty, improves health, builds peace, and bolsters climate resilience. It is not a luxury. It is fundamental.

So why is it being cut?

Some blame politics. Others say economic pressure. Some are just tired of the words “gender equity.” But the effect is the same: a quiet, global retreat from one of the most impactful investments humanity can make.

Is There a Way Back?

It’s easy to feel powerless when governments fail to act. But that’s exactly when individuals have the most power.

Imagine telling a 13-year-old girl in Kenya or India that her education isn't a priority anymore. Now imagine being the one who proves otherwise. We all have this opportunity! 

Organizations like Girl Rising, who work with local partners to keep girls learning and dreaming, are still here. But we’re doing it with fewer resources and more need than ever before. When governments and institutions turn away, movements are sustained by people who refuse to let girls be forgotten.

This moment calls for more than concern; it calls for commitment. Whether it’s a donation, a platform, or simply spreading the word, now is the time to lean in and not pull back.

Because when the world turned away, we still have the chance to say: We showed up. We stood with her. We didn’t give up.