International Aid Cuts to Affect Millions Across Africa

KAYA, BURKINA FASO - The COVID-19 pandemic has led to cuts in foreign aid from donor nations such as Britain — which cut its aid budget by $5.5 billion — Australia, Japan and Saudi Arabia. The funding loss is being felt in Burkina Faso, where it could shut down a group that helps thousands of survivors of gender-based violence and rape.      

The largest international nonprofits say the shock waves of the cuts will be felt by people across Africa in all kinds of situations and will result in deaths.    "For countries like the [United Kingdom] and others to be cutting their aid budgets in a global pandemic is extremely shortsighted, and we know it will put the fight back against poverty by many decades," said Sam Nadel, Oxfam government relations chief. "So, the U.N. secretary general, for example, has called these cuts a death sentence, and it really is that stark for many people."    Marie Stopes, a group offering family planning to countries in crisis like Burkina Faso, is primarily supported by British aid money.