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President Donald Trump has put millions of lives at risk by shutting down most of Americas humanitarian and development work abroad. After freezing almost all spending on foreign aid, the administration this week finished its purge at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announcing that 83 percent of its programs are being axed.But you can help keep some of these lifesaving programs going. Experts who see the immense value of these programs which prevent and treat diseases, supply food and clean water to people living in extreme poverty, and help refugees fleeing war have spun up new emergency funds to enable the programs to continue their operations. And theyre seeking donations. So if youre unhappy with Trumps purge, you are not powerless here. Donating to one of these funds can be a way to resist the administrations America First ethos. And because the funds are supporting programs that are extremely cost-effective meaning they save more lives than others would with the same amount of money they offer an unusually powerful opportunity to help the worlds most disenfranchised groups. Some may question whether it should fall to private donors to fill in the funding gaps this way; isnt this the governments job? It is. But in moments when the government isnt doing nearly enough, individual generosity can really shine by stepping in with emergency aid. This is one of those moments. If youre concerned that private donors stepping in now will reduce pressure to restore USAID later on, consider this: Theres no way donors will manage to fill the massive gap that the government has left behind. Philanthropy may yield millions of dollars, but thats a drop in the bucket compared to the billions that the government was providing. Besides, USAID was doing a lot of things donors just cant do, like steering very large and highly trained staffs and working directly with other organizations and governments. So most experts I spoke with said it wont be plausible to argue that philanthropy can just replace government aid. And people in urgent situations around the world need help now. They cant simply keep waiting for their next meal or their next dose of medication. Thats what the three funds below are designed to address immediately. Lets check them out. 1) The Rapid Response Fund This fund was co-created on February 17 by two organizations: The Life You Can Save, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting extreme poverty, and Founders Pledge, a nonprofit empowering entrepreneurs to do the most good possible with their charitable giving. These nonprofits have a specialty in finding the most high-impact and cost-effective lifesaving programs out there. Theyve spent years rigorously evaluating programs, finding the ones with the strongest evidence base, and recommending them to donors who want to be sure theyre getting the most bang for their charitable buck.Less than a month after its launch, the Rapid Response Fund has pulled in over $1.5 million and is already disbursing cash to organizations that it has high confidence in based on past evaluations. They include: The International Rescue Committee, which fights childhood malnutrition linked to almost half of deaths among children under 5 years old through programs led by community health workers. These programs cost only $130 per child treated and multiple studies have found recovery rates of 53 percent to 82 percent.The Iodine Global Network, which prevents iodine deficiency, the most common cause of brain damage in newborns. This work not only saves lives but also improves educational outcomes and breaks cycles of poverty all at the low cost of 5 cents to 10 cents per person annually.Goal 3s IMPALA project, which equips African health care workers with tools like vital signs monitors so they can detect patient deterioration early and intervene when treatments are most effective. Initial results from a Malawian hospital showed a remarkable 59 percent drop in child mortality compared to the previous year.Jessica La Mesa, co-CEO of The Life You Can Save, told me programs like these were severely underfunded relative to their potential impact even before the USAID cuts. We needed more before, and we need even more now, she said. Theres still a massive funding gap, even just within the organizations we recommend a $77 million gap across everything were looking at funding. So we have a long way to go.Want to help fund crucial work like this? You can donate to the Rapid Response Fund here.2) Unlock Aids Foreign Bridge FundUnlock Aid is a coalition group aimed at making global development more effective. Its new Foreign Aid Bridge Fund is meant to help sustain the organizations that were impacted by the US governments cuts.This fund is prioritizing organizations that are not only high-impact and cost-effective, but that have a sustainable business model rather than being dependent on a single source of revenue, like the US government. Since the fund will be temporary, its looking for organizations that will be well positioned to continue even after the fund expires.Unlike The Life You Can Save and Founders Pledge, which are funding organizations theyd already evaluated in the past, Unlock Aid is accepting fresh applications from programs in need. Theyve already received applications from hundreds of organizations. The benefit of that is that they have the chance to encounter groups that arent on their radar yet but are doing critical work. But it means their grants committee has to assess a whole lot of material in a short timeframe. That said, theyve been able to move fast: Just days after launching on February 13, they awarded their first four grants, noting, This rapid turnaround demonstrates our commitment to functioning as a true emergency fund, getting critical resources out quickly to organizations that need them most.Those grants are going to two African organizations that provide lifesaving treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; another African organization that gives communities access to malaria care; and a humanitarian organization in the Caribbean.If you want to fund more similar work, you can donate to Unlock Aids Foreign Aid Bridge Fund here.3) GiveDirectlyGiveDirectly is an organization based on one big idea: If you want to help the worlds poorest people effectively, why not just give them cash?The organization has been giving out no-strings-attached cash transfers for years, and along the way, its built up an impressive evidence base showing the benefits of these transfers. Cash gives people the agency to buy the things they really need, as opposed to what outsiders think they need. And it can be disseminated much faster than goods, thanks to cellphone-based banking. Cash is now considered the baseline standard for challenges like poverty alleviation, with other interventions judged on whether theyre superior to cash.GiveDirectly had about 38,000 families across Mozambique, Malawi, Morocco, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) slated to receive $20 million in life-changing cash transfers this year, funded by the US governments foreign aid budget. Unfortunately, seven GiveDirectly programs were among those impacted by the USAID cuts; the organization recently received termination letters. I think in DRC its been particularly terrible, Anthea Gordon, GiveDirectlys country director based there, told me. Over 500,000 people in eastern DRC have been displaced by fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese government forces. When M23 took over the city of Goma, where GiveDirectlys office is, Gordon lost power and internet so she initially had no idea about the USAID cuts. I was hiding in a corridor, she said. When I resurfaced a couple days later, I couldnt believe it. Out of the DRC humanitarian aid budget, the US funded about 70 percent, so this has had a massive, massive impact at a time when there was more need than ever for humanitarian aid. It was complete disaster.For the families who were supposed to be receiving cash transfers, the cuts mean theyll be at risk of being unable to afford essentials like food, medicine, and safe housing. So GiveDirectly has launched its own fundraising campaign, with the hope that it can still deliver cash to as many of the families as possible. If you like the idea of showing solidarity with the worlds poorest people in an effective and non-paternalistic way, you can donate to GiveDirectlys campaign here. And if you want to support one of these three funds, but arent sure which, dont spend too much time worrying about it: Though they each vary a bit in their approach, all three support high-impact, cost-effective programs that can achieve an unusual amount of good with your money at an urgent time like this. That urgency is what Gordon, in the DRC, wants people to remember.In terms of individuals lives, if you have HIV and youre taking retrovirals and you dont have your supply resumed very quickly, its game over, she said. We need something now to keep the health centers open, to give people cash, to have their next meal.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:
