What Happens When We Turn Our Back on the World

In times of crisis, people remember who reaches out to help—and who turns their back. Trust takes years to build, but only a moment to shatter.

For over a decade with USAID, I’ve worked in developing countries alongside incredible teams, responding to crises with humanity, tackling systemic poverty, and representing America’s values of democracy and generosity. In Ethiopia, people still remember the sacks of rice and beans stamped with the American flag that helped them survive devastating famines. In Cambodia, people saw the U.S. as a defender of freedom and democratic rights—a stark contrast to China, which propped up a government that restricted free speech, silenced critics, and suppressed political opposition. Now I’m serving in Mozambique, where American investments have saved lives after devastating cyclones, curbed the global spread of infectious diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and prevented the spread of terrorism in the northern provinces. All of this work not only serves as a reflection of the best of American values and kindness, it also protects Americans from the next pandemic or the next major terrorist attack. It also furthers trade and diplomatic relations that benefit American businesses and secures our role as a respected and trusted global leader.

But what happens when all of this is dismantled overnight—without warning?

Many journalists are capturing the devastating global impact and even the serious consequences for American farmers and citizens as a result of the “pause” of U.S. foreign assistance (NY Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post). In addition, I’m worried that the rapid dismantling of USAID has undermined our ability to respond to humanitarian crises, such as the recent devastating earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand.

With this article I just want to share my view of it has meant for people living in Mozambique, a country where nearly 60% or 20 million people live in extreme poverty, when the U.S. decided to turn its back on them.

People are dying due to lack of medicine

USAID was Mozambique’s largest health donor, investing over $300 million annually in medicine supply chains, doctor training, and disease prevention. Even before the shutdown, medicine shortages were common. The immediate shutdown of USAID operations meant that already-purchased medicines sat trapped in warehouses while sick patients were left without treatment.

Volunteer providing training on preventing malaria and the importance of prenatal care visits through USAID’s Social Behavior Change activity implemented by a local inter-religious organization, PIRCOM, in Zambezia.

I’ve had malaria before—I know firsthand how brutal it is. Without medicine, malaria can kill within 24 hours. Before being placed on administrative leave, my colleagues and I rushed to provide justifications for exemptions for lifesaving health programs—only to realize it was futile. We were blocked from accessing financial systems, making it impossible to get funds to our partners, even when waivers were granted. Every day of delay meant more avoidable deaths from preventable diseases.

Emergency Shelters for victims of cyclones - stuck with no warehouse

Mozambique regularly gets hit by cyclones and tropical storms and the past few months have been particularly devastating with three tropical storms hitting northern Mozambique (Chido in December 2024, Dikeledi in January 2025, and Jude in March 2025). Severe flooding and strong winds destroyed infrastructure and housing in communities already struggling with food insecurity, displacement due to an ongoing violent conflict, and limited access to essential services. While Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, declared that there are waivers for lifesaving emergency humanitarian assistance, the actions by the administration have obstructed implementation. Initially the waiver only included food assistance. Even when the definition was expanded to include emergency medical supplies and shelters, it was not clear whether essential water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities could continue. Due to already weak WASH systems, cyclones are often accompanied by cholera outbreaks. Thus my colleagues and I found ourselves wasting valuable time justifying why WASH activities should be considered lifesaving and waiting for responses.

Makeshift shelters in a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique which has been impacted by ongoing terrorist attacks since 2017 and recent cyclones.

Recently, a USAID humanitarian colleague confirmed to me that even after securing approval to purchase emergency shelters from South Africa, the warehouse needed to store them remains shut down, under a stop work order — preventing the distribution of the approved emergency shelters. As a result, families are sleeping in the open, exposed to the elements, while life-saving emergency shelters paid for with US taxpayer dollars sit unused.

The Destruction of a Maternity Ward

Mozambique only has one health facility per 10,000 people — half of the global benchmark. The existing health facilities are concentrated in urban areas. Rural clinics often lack basic supplies, electricity, and clean water. One USAID-funded project sought to renovate maternity wards in northern Mozambique, where maternal mortality is among the highest in the world. USAID created temporary shelters and began the rehabilitation of the rural health clinic. The partner had removed the old roof and was preparing to install a new roof when the stop work order came, halting the construction midway, forcing expectant mothers to give birth in temporary tents indefinitely. Then, the cyclones came. The storms tore the tents apart, leaving pregnant women with nowhere to go, and a health clinic with no roof.

Instead of expanding access to healthcare, U.S. policy has made the situation even worse. As a mother and an American citizen, my heartbreak and shame over this waste of American taxpayer dollars appropriated by Congress to reduce maternal mortality is overwhelming.

These are just three small examples from Mozambique of the devastating impact of the reckless and rapid shutting down of USAID that some refer to as a mere “pause.”  I have been through transitions in administrations before and USAID has always adjusted to the priorities of the new administration in good faith. What has happened over the past three months is not a transition, it is a betrayal of America’s leadership and moral standing in the world—one that has already cost the lives of poor people around the world, illegally wasted American taxpayer dollars, and left American citizens more vulnerable to diseases and terrorism.

I was raised to believe in the Golden Rule: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

I can only hope that our friends and allies do not treat the U.S. as we have treated them. But if they do, I couldn’t blame them.

—USAID Employee