Caritas Asia vows to continue humanitarian efforts despite USAID funding shutdown

Caritas Asia pledged to not cease their projects despite the decision of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) to stop providing funding support to humanitarian operations around the world.

According to Dr. Benedict Alo D’Rozario, president of Caritas Asia, this will have a devastating impact on their work for migrants and refugees across the continent.

He also lamented how the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will be losing nearly half its $1.5 billion annual funding.

USAID, the main international humanitarian and development arm of the US government, has been a vital partner of the Catholic Church in supporting vulnerable communities worldwide.

According to Caritas Internationalis, USAID has been responsible for around 40% of the total global aid budget, which is around US $40 billion in combined appropriations.

Due to a funding freeze by the Trump administration, USAID’s programs have been shut down.

D’Rozario revealed that the negative effect of this budget cut is already being felt in Bangladesh, where more than 100 USAID-backed projects have been put on hold.

He also said that three USAID-funded projects were halted in four dioceses.

Caritas Asia is set to hold meetings in Thailand and Malaysia to identify alternative funding resources to address the lack of funds to sustain their humanitarian efforts.

In a statement, Caritas Internationalis said that the USAID’s funding cuts “threaten the lives and dignity of millions.”

“Stopping USAID abruptly will kill millions of people and condemn hundreds of millions more to lives of dehumanizing poverty. This is an inhumane affront to people’s God-given human dignity, that will cause immense suffering,” said Alistair Dutton, secretary general of Caritas Internationalis.

Dutton also said that they are working collaboratively with their partners and allies around the world “to reduce the impact of the freeze” and ensure continued support for their global projects.

“We call on governments, international agencies, and stakeholders to speak out and strongly urge the U.S. Administration to reverse these dangerous measures,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, recognized that every government has the right to review its budget in the case of foreign aid, but noted that some warning would have at least provided to their beneficiaries.

“If the government thinks that its programs have been distorted by ideology, well, then they should reform the programs… Many people would say that shutting down is not the best way to reform them,” the cardinal said in an interview with Associated Press.

“There are programs underway and expectations and we might even say commitments, and to break commitments is a serious thing,” he said.