When the Lifeline Fades: How Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Aid Cuts Hurt the World’s Most Vulnerable

Imagine a mother walking miles to a health clinic, only to find it closed because funding dried up. A farmer standing in a dry field, unable to afford fertiliser because trade tariffs have made it too expensive. A child missing school because the family can’t cover the costs after food assistance was cut.

These aren’t distant or abstract stories—they’re real lives, and the decisions being made in government halls are pulling the lifeline from millions. Right now, rising tariffs, looming trade wars, and the withdrawal of key funding like USAID are taking us backward.

The Hidden Cost of Tariffs

Tariffs aren’t just economic tools; they have human costs. Nonprofits that deliver food, medicine, and clean water rely on global supply chains. But when tariffs drive up the cost of basic goods—medical equipment, seeds, construction materials—they face an agonising reality: they can’t help as many people as before.

When USAID Pulls Out, So Do Opportunities For decades, USAID funding has been a foundation for change. Its programmes have supported safe deliveries, clean drinking water, and education for girls. But as aid is reduced or redirected, those lifelines vanish. When USAID pulls out, other donors often follow. Programmes that relied on partnerships crumble, leaving people stranded.

Losing Progress Takes Us Back in Time

Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen incredible progress—fewer children dying of preventable diseases, more women earning an income, and communities bouncing back from disasters faster than before. But these gains are fragile. Without funding and fair trade policies, we risk falling back into a time when millions died from preventable causes, and poverty was a generational trap.

Where Do We Go From Here?

This isn’t a time to retreat. It’s a time to act.

1. A Broader Funding Base: Nonprofits can’t rely solely on traditional aid. We need to engage businesses, philanthropists, and impact investors to spread the risk and secure long-term support.

2. Global Solidarity: We need more than financial support—we need collaboration. Governments, businesses, and donors must commit to development as a shared responsibility.

3. Empowering Local Communities: By investing directly in local organisations, we create sustainable solutions that are less vulnerable to international shocks.

Why We Can’t Afford to Step Back

We’re at a critical juncture. This is about more than numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s about people’s lives. If we step back now, it won’t just be a pause in progress; it’ll be a collapse. But we don’t have to let that happen.