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Obianuju Ekeocha, founder and president of Culture of Life Africa, says aid model urgently needs revision, based on principles of faith and family.
LONDON — The Trump administration’s defunding of USAID, a U.S. government agency set up in the 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programs, has provoked a strong reaction from some Catholic institutions, especially those heavily dependent on its aid.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed earlier this month that 83% of USAID programs had been terminated following a six-week review. The reasons given included misalignment with American interests, a need to cut government spending, evidence of waste and fraud, and USAID’s promotion of a "woke" agenda.
Catholic charities that are dependent on federal funding have vehemently opposed the policy and will have to make large expenditure and employment cuts as a result (in the case of Catholic Relief Services, a 50% reduction in its budget). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is suing the administration for abruptly ending a USAID-funded refugee-settlement program, while the Vatican called it “reckless” and said it could endanger the lives of millions of people.
But could the policy offer an opportunity to look carefully at problems associated with foreign state aid and for developing countries to wean themselves off such dependence, which is often tied to secularist values that have led to ideological colonization?
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
LONDON — The Trump administration’s defunding of USAID, a U.S. government agency set up in the 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programs, has provoked a strong reaction from some Catholic institutions, especially those heavily dependent on its aid.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed earlier this month that 83% of USAID programs had been terminated following a six-week review. The reasons given included misalignment with American interests, a need to cut government spending, evidence of waste and fraud, and USAID’s promotion of a "woke" agenda.
Catholic charities that are dependent on federal funding have vehemently opposed the policy and will have to make large expenditure and employment cuts as a result (in the case of Catholic Relief Services, a 50% reduction in its budget). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is suing the administration for abruptly ending a USAID-funded refugee-settlement program, while the Vatican called it “reckless” and said it could endanger the lives of millions of people.
But could the policy offer an opportunity to look carefully at problems associated with foreign state aid and for developing countries to wean themselves off such dependence, which is often tied to secularist values that have led to ideological colonization?
Continued below.
Could Cuts to USAID Present an Opportunity to Counter Ideological Colonization Linked to Foreign Aid?
Obianuju Ekeocha, founder and president of Culture of Life Africa, says aid model urgently needs revision, based on principles of faith and family.
