USAID Fallout: In Nepal, when the Aid Workers Stopped Coming, the Women and Babies Started Dying
U.S. aid cuts ended outreach and nutrition services, and officials say neonatal deaths in one Nepal district climbed from zero in 2024 to five by March.
- In rural Nepal, neonatal deaths are rising following the cancellation of a five-year, $35 million U.S. aid program that equipped birthing centers and trained health volunteers in the Rautahat district.
- President Donald Trump's administration dissolved the United States Agency for International Development, leaving birthing centers devoid of staff and medicine while forcing 60% of women's organizations to reduce services.
- Kabita Mukhiya, a 20-year-old from Rautahat, died in December while 28 weeks pregnant; her surviving children are now cared for by grandmother Lachhiya and aunt Shraddha.
- While the U.S. State Department claims it maintains maternal health support through efficient partnerships, local health workers report expected annual infant mortality is now occurring within four to six months.
- A study in The Lancet warns these cuts could lead to more than 14 million deaths by 2030, including more than 4.5 million children under 5, reversing decades of global health progress.
33 Articles
33 Articles
Nepali Village Had Zero Newborn Deaths in 2024, Then Usaid Cuts Hit and Babies Started Dying Again
A Nepali village that recorded zero newborn deaths in 2024 has seen five infants die within months of the United States cutting funding to a maternal health programme, an Associated Press investigation has found. Health officials in Prempur Gonahi, in Nepal's Rautahat district, said the deaths returned once outreach workers stopped visiting pregnant women at home. Before the US-funded scheme began, the village recorded between ten and fifteen ne…
Here’s how the USAID cuts have impacted pregnant women and babies in Nepal
The U.S. State Department says it still supports programs in Nepal aimed at improving maternal and child health. But health workers, government officials, aid workers and families in Nepal say the funding cuts have had a devastating and deadly impact on pregnant women and babies.
Associated Press News
USAID fallout: In Nepal, when the aid workers stopped coming, the women and babies started dying
The Associated Press has found that the decision by the United States to slash its foreign aid funding last year has increased pregnancy complications and deaths in Nepal.
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