Former USAID Program Officer, Research Partnerships

June 2025

“The security that was there isn’t there anymore because I don’t have a job. Without a job, how do I make sure my kids have the same quality of life they’re accustomed to? How do I make them not be affected by a problem that is not of their making? It’s a very grown-up problem.

I’m a single mom of a six-year-old and an eight-year-old in one of the world’s most expensive cities. It’s definitely anxiety-driven — trying to scramble, trying to figure out next steps, trying to keep it levelheaded so my kids don’t really understand the angst.

There’s a lot of lifesaving drugs and assistance we were giving to people who, without it, would have died. I cannot stress enough the stories I’ve heard of people without their medicine succumbing to basic infections they wouldn’t have had to. Those people are sitting at home, unfortunately just waiting to die, because there’s no one there to provide the medicine.

I think if a larger subset of Americans understood the full-circle approach that USAID had, there may have been more outrage. The tweets and harassment we received wouldn’t have been able to exist. As soon as you hear foreign assistance, you think it’s a handout. These aren’t handouts. We’re building blocks for society so countries can be more self-sustainable.”