Posted on January 30, 2025
Dear Global Washington Community,
We are reaching out at a time of unprecedented uncertainty for the global development and humanitarian sectors. Recent executive orders from the U.S. administration have imposed a freeze on foreign aid, halted numerous federal grants, withdrawn from international environmental commitments, and introduced significant restrictions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives. These actions have immediate and devastating implications for our collective work to improve lives and strengthen communities around the world.
This abrupt policy shift has placed many of our members in crisis. The freeze on USAID funding and other federal grants has triggered stop-work orders across critical programs, jeopardizing food security, global health initiatives, gender equity projects, and climate resilience efforts. From emergency relief operations in conflict zones to long-term development projects that foster sustainable economic growth, these funding cuts are already forcing difficult decisions—shutting down programs, laying off staff, and leaving vulnerable populations without essential services.
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Posted on October 24, 2024
By Tracey Compton, Senior Media Communications Coordinator, Mercy Corps
February 2022, Baidoa, Somalia. Dhagan Aclan Aalan holds one of her last surviving goats, in front of her family’s temporary shelter. They are staying at an IDP camp among the scrub brush outside Baidoa. Farmers are watching crops die, leaving nothing to sell or eat. Grazing land has dried up, leaving pastoralists without food or water to feed their livestock herds. As people are forced to migrate and resources are scarce, conflict is likely to increase, further disrupting food systems. Photo: Ezra Millstein/Mercy Corps
October 2024
Mercy Corps is adding a critical perspective to the livestock emissions debate, emphasizing the potential benefits of pastoralists, or those who move herds across land, in drylands and opening a pathway toward food security previously often overlooked by dominant climate narratives.
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Posted on October 24, 2024
By Joe Dutra, Opportunity International
Woman smallholder farmer admiring her pepper crop. Photo: Opportunity International
Smallholder farmers are responsible for producing one-third of the world’s food supply and nearly 80% of the food in low- and middle-income countries. They are also among the most vulnerable populations, as agriculture remains the primary livelihood for millions living in extreme poverty. Opportunity International believes that through targeted financial solutions, training, and support, smallholder farmers can increase their productivity, income, and resilience, ultimately building thriving rural communities. Our goal is clear: help farmers grow more and earn more.
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