{"id":17612,"date":"2025-03-25T15:14:46","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17612"},"modified":"2026-10-08T02:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T00:48:08","slug":"trump-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/trump-2\/","title":{"rendered":"US Aid Cuts Leave Save the Children\u2019s Projects in Egypt Facing an Uncertain Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration\u2019s suspension and subsequent cuts to foreign assistance have left humanitarian and development programmes in Egypt facing an uncertain future. Save the Children says the funding shock has ended some projects and partnerships, while workers interviewed by Zawia3 describe interrupted activities and unresolved employment claims.<\/p>\n

The relevant foreign-aid decision began with President Donald Trump\u2019s January 20, 2025 executive order<\/a>, which called for a 90-day pause in development assistance while programmes were reviewed. Implementation instructions on January 24<\/a> halted new obligations and work under affected awards, subject to exceptions.<\/p>\n

This was distinct from the broader Office of Management and Budget memorandum on federal grants and loans, issued on January 27 for implementation the following day. Acting OMB director Matthew Vaeth described a review to align spending with presidential priorities. That memorandum was rescinded on January 29<\/a>; its withdrawal did not itself revoke the separate foreign-assistance executive order.<\/p>\n

On March 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the administration was cancelling 83% of USAID programmes after a six-week review. He referred to approximately 5,200 cancelled contracts and said roughly 1,000 remaining programmes would be administered through the State Department in consultation with Congress.<\/p>\n

Rubio argued that cancelled awards had failed to serve, and in some cases harmed, US interests. That was the administration\u2019s justification, not an independently established finding about every programme. He thanked staff and the Department of Government Efficiency associated with Elon Musk for their role in the changes.<\/p>\n

USAID has funded health, education, disaster response, poverty reduction, civil society and independent media across many countries. The sudden interruption of assistance disrupted organisations whose staffing and services depended on those awards, including programmes supporting vulnerable communities in the Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n

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What the cuts could mean in Egypt<\/h2>\n

USAID\u2019s partnership with Egypt has amounted to approximately $30 billion over several decades, according to statements by its Egypt mission director, Sean Jones, cited in the original reporting. In June 2024, the US government and Egypt\u2019s international cooperation ministry announced an additional $130 million<\/a> through bilateral development agreements.<\/p>\n

Michael Makram Nassif, a development consultant and chair of the National Association for Community Development and Environmental Protection, tells Zawia3 that abrupt reductions in aid can deprive organisations of core resources for healthcare, education and emergency relief.<\/p>\n

He expects suspended projects, possible field-office closures and loss of specialist staff, particularly in areas already poorly served. The consequences may extend beyond the immediate funding gap: organisations that cannot meet commitments risk losing the confidence of partners and finding alternative funding harder to secure.<\/p>\n

Nassif identifies refugees and displaced people reliant on food and medical assistance among those most exposed. Women and children could lose protection and education services, he says, increasing vulnerability to violence, child labour and early marriage. Patients who depend on subsidised treatment may face interruptions in access to essential medicines.<\/p>\n

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For organisations built around a funded service, the loss of a grant can also mean the loss of staff, local relationships and the capacity to restart, Nassif warns.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He proposes diversifying funding through regional development institutions, Gulf funds, Asian financial institutions, national fundraising and corporate social responsibility. He also suggests social-finance models, including charitable giving and social sukuk, subject to an appropriate framework.<\/p>\n

Alongside financial diversification, he advocates engagement with US rights organisations and lawmakers, public communication about the consequences of the cuts, and involvement by the Egyptian diaspora. He sees stronger cooperation among government, business and civil society as necessary to make development work more sustainable.<\/p>\n

Mohamed Saeed, director of the refugee-rights programme at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, describes the US decision as a shock to organisations that rely heavily on American assistance. He believes US policy also influences other donors\u2019 priorities in human rights and democratic development.<\/p>\n

He recalls the Trump administration\u2019s withdrawal of support for UNRWA during its first term as an example of how a major donor\u2019s decision can intensify an existing humanitarian funding crisis.<\/p>\n

In Egypt, Saeed expects substantial effects on refugees and migrants. International organisations and their partners provide services that limited public resources cannot fully replace, he says. Cuts could affect food, healthcare, housing support and the staff delivering them.<\/p>\n

He fears that worsening hardship may increase pressure toward irregular migration, including routes to Europe. This is his assessment of a potential consequence, not a measured outcome of the funding decision at the time of publication.<\/p>\n

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Save the Children reduces activities<\/h2>\n

Save the Children said in a statement that recent international aid reductions had significantly affected its Egypt operations, ending some projects and partnerships. It described cost-saving measures and a search for alternative resources in response to an unprecedented funding shortfall.<\/p>\n

The organisation has worked in Egypt since 1982, providing education, health and protection services to Egyptian and migrant children and families. Its work includes maternal and child health, protection from violence, opportunities for young people and support for community participation.<\/p>\n

Staffing figures cited in the original reporting described five field offices, 337 employees and 140 volunteers, many from refugee communities. These describe the organisational profile cited at the time, rather than a verified count after restructuring. The original also contained inconsistent totals for children reached in 2024, so a single consolidated beneficiary figure cannot be established from those figures alone.<\/p>\n

The Egypt statement said local civil-society partnerships were central to its work and acknowledged the harm that sudden US funding cuts had caused partners. It listed restructuring, a halt to most recruitment, restrictions on travel and efforts to reduce programme costs while preserving quality.<\/p>\n

In its February 28 global statement<\/a>, Save the Children International said proposed restructuring and five country-office closures were expected to affect more than 2,300 staff worldwide. The offices named were in Sri Lanka, Poland, Brazil, Georgia and Liberia. This was not a figure for jobs lost in Egypt or in a single Egyptian project.<\/p>\n

Zawia3 contacted the organisation for further details but had received no response by publication. Current employees approached for comment declined to expand on the statement. Other people who described themselves as affected workers spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

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Workers describe an interrupted \u201cLearning Village\u201d project<\/h2>\n

One worker discussed the project known in Arabic as \u201cQarya Muta\u2019allima\u201d, or \u201cLearning Village\u201d. He said Save the Children implemented it with USAID funding and local associations to improve community education, support women and encourage participation in village life.<\/p>\n

He described repairs to community schools, interactive screens and libraries, and teacher training in newer educational methods. Summer camps and reading and back-to-school campaigns sought to keep children engaged and encourage them to continue their education.<\/p>\n

According to the worker, the interruption left schools without promised support and teachers without ongoing resources or guidance. His account raises questions about continuity after funding ends, but the material available to Zawia3 did not establish a complete project timeline or independently confirm every claimed consequence.<\/p>\n

He said women attended literacy classes and some passed Adult Education Authority examinations without subsequently receiving certificates. Community coordinators who helped run classes were also owed payments, he alleged. Other activities sought to expand women\u2019s economic and social opportunities.<\/p>\n

Sessions aimed at men, known as \u201cZein El-Regal\u201d, encouraged discussion of women\u2019s roles in education and work. Village education teams were meant to help sustain activities after the project\u2019s end, but the worker said their training and support had not been completed.<\/p>\n

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The worker\u2019s central complaint is not only that funding ended, but that no adequate transition was put in place for participants, staff and local partners.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He alleged that some workers received insufficient notice or compensation and that outstanding pay remained unpaid. Zawia3 did not obtain employment records establishing the local number affected or the amounts owed. The organisation\u2019s global figure of more than 2,300 potentially affected staff cannot substantiate a claim that more than 2,000 workers were dismissed from this Egyptian project.<\/p>\n

Local partner associations, he added, suddenly faced shortages of resources that limited their ability to continue services. He criticised the absence of a clear handover or alternative funding plan, arguing that a project intended to build long-term capacity had left communities dependent on a temporary grant.<\/p>\n

Public posts cited in the reporting documented activities as late as July 2024, while comments included demands for workers\u2019 payments. Those posts establish that activities were publicised then; they do not by themselves establish when the project stopped or prove that a particular termination was caused by the January 2025 US decision.<\/p>\n

Another affected worker invoked Egypt\u2019s Labour Law No. 12 of 2003 and Social Insurance Law No. 148 of 2019 in seeking outstanding entitlements and remedies for allegedly unfair dismissal. The existence and scope of any remedy depend on the employment relationship, contract, insurance status and circumstances of termination. The interview is a claim to rights, not a court ruling that specific sums are owed.<\/p>\n

The unanswered questions concern both workers and beneficiaries: the timing of closures, which obligations remain outstanding, and what arrangements, if any, can preserve services after a donor withdraws.<\/p>\n

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Legal challenges in the United States<\/h2>\n

The funding decisions have also faced litigation in the United States. In February, federal judge Amir Ali temporarily restricted implementation of the blanket foreign-assistance freeze in cases brought by aid organisations, including the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Journalism Development Network.<\/p>\n

The challengers described layoffs, disrupted budgets and damage to essential work. The dispute concerned whether the executive branch could impose a sweeping halt, rather than whether it could review individual programmes or exercise termination rights consistent with existing agreements.<\/p>\n

A separate February case before Judge Carl Nichols concerned plans to place thousands of USAID employees on administrative leave and require overseas staff to return. The litigation over staffing and the cases over aid payments involve different legal questions; a temporary order in one does not establish that every funding or employment measure has been permanently reversed.<\/p>\n

On March 6, Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction in litigation brought by 22 states and the District of Columbia challenging a broader federal-funding freeze. The constitutional dispute centres on the respective powers of Congress, which appropriates funds, and the executive branch, which administers them.<\/p>\n

USAID\u2019s inspector-general separately issued a February 10 advisory<\/a> warning that staffing reductions and the assistance pause impaired oversight of humanitarian programmes. It highlighted risks to emergency food assistance, illustrating that disruption can affect supplies already procured as well as future awards.<\/p>\n

US housing advocates have also warned about the broader domestic funding dispute. National Low Income Housing Coalition interim chief executive Renee Willis said even a short interruption could harm low-income households and organisations supporting them, including rental-assistance recipients and homeless shelters.<\/p>\n

Senator Patty Murray, the senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticised the scope and legality of the freeze, warning of consequences for childcare, cancer research, housing, public services and disaster recovery. These concerns relate to the wider federal-spending controversy and should not be conflated with the separate mechanics of every overseas aid award.<\/p>\n

The disputes echo earlier clashes over presidential attempts to withhold congressionally approved spending. They do not remove the immediate uncertainty facing organisations in Egypt: services can be interrupted while legal questions remain unresolved.<\/p>\n

For the workers and communities described in this report, the practical priorities are continuity of essential services, clear information on cancelled projects and a fair resolution of outstanding obligations. Alternative finance may help, but rebuilding funding does not automatically restore lost staff, interrupted learning or confidence between organisations and the communities they serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Funding suspensions threaten education and protection services, while affected workers raise questions about unpaid entitlements and the continuity of local projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[412],"tags":[],"kateb":[6247],"class_list":["post-17612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-en","kateb-rasha-ammar"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/\u062f\u0648\u0646\u0627\u0644\u062f-\u062a\u0631\u0627\u0645\u0628-2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17613,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17612\/revisions\/17613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17612"},{"taxonomy":"kateb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kateb?post=17612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}