‘We could be facing a dire situation’: Irish aid agencies on the impact on the ground of funding cuts

International aid programmes have been reduced because major donor governments have cut humanitarian funding. The United States closed USAID and sharply reduced foreign-aid spending. Cuts by the US, UK, France and Germany have also strained charities such as Concern Worldwide. This matters because these programmes provide treatment, food and local health services when communities face malnutrition, conflict or famine.

Liberia has had no nationwide supply of key nutritional treatments since September 2025. In Somalia, about 300 health facilities closed during the first year of US funding cuts, while Concern shut half its feeding centres and clinics. In Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan, Concern temporarily closed all operations before Irish funding reopened about one-third.

The remaining services face greater pressure. Somalia has fewer staff and more crowded clinics, while Liberian workers try to use local ingredients for cases needing medical treatment. Concern has also closed programmes in Lebanon, Rwanda and North Korea, showing that the reductions extend well beyond these three countries.

Plumpy’Nut is a ready-to-use, high-energy paste resembling peanut butter. The article identifies it as the key nutritional treatment in Liberia’s depleted supplies. It is used for severely malnourished children because it delivers concentrated nourishment and helps them regain strength quickly. That makes it important in emergencies, where children may need immediate treatment rather than ordinary food alone.

The paste works by providing energy and nutrients in a compact form that can be used to build up children weakened by malnutrition. The article groups it with two milk formulas for acutely malnourished infants. When these supplies disappear, health workers can refer children to facilities but those facilities may have little treatment available.

Since September 2025, Liberia has faced an unprecedented nationwide stock-out lasting more than a year, according to Ciara Begley. Staff are using local ingredients where possible, but Begley says children needing medical treatment cannot receive a fair substitute. The shortage therefore increases the risk of quiet deaths in rural communities.

The cuts have reduced both the number of aid workers and the places where people can receive help. Concern’s global workforce fell from 3,000 staff to just over 2,000, including a 17 per cent headcount cut in Dublin. In Liberia, staff numbers fell from 106 to 51 over six years. These losses limit how widely charities can operate.

Concern closed three country programmes, in Lebanon, Rwanda and North Korea. In Somalia, Richard Nunn’s staff fell from 170 to 100, and the charity reduced its geographical coverage. During the first year of US funding cuts, about 300 health facilities closed across Somalia. Concern also had to close half its feeding centres and clinics there.

Sudan suffered an even sharper interruption. Concern shut all its operations in Darfur and Kordofan at one point. Irish Government funding later allowed about one-third of them to reopen. The figures show that funding cuts reduce services directly, while the remaining facilities become more crowded and harder to reach.

When clinics, feeding centres and supplies disappear, families lose nearby access to treatment for malnutrition and other urgent needs. The immediate problem is not only distance. A clinic may still exist but lack Plumpy’Nut, milk formulas, staff or the capacity to treat a referred child. This matters most for families already facing poverty, conflict or famine risks.

Somalia shows the mechanism clearly. After about 300 health facilities closed, people who needed support had to travel farther or could not find it at all. The remaining clinics became increasingly crowded, while Richard Nunn’s staff numbers fell from 170 to 100. In Liberia, workers try to make local ingredients help, but some cases require medical treatment.

The human cost can be hidden. Ciara Begley says a young adolescent mother in a rural community may watch her malnourished child die quietly because treatment is unavailable. Somalia has not yet returned to its earlier crisis level, but poor rains or El Niño could make conditions dire again.

The aid system described here links governments, UN agencies and charities. Donor governments provide money, the EU allocates regional and global funding, and agencies such as USAID and Unicef support international programmes. Charities such as Concern turn funding into clinics, feeding centres, staff and nutritional treatment on the ground. The Irish Government is another donor.

The United States was the biggest disruptive actor in this account. Under the Trump White House, USAID was closed and foreign-aid funding was sharply cut. Begley says Unicef is being squeezed and cut, contributing to Liberia’s nationwide nutritional stock-out. The EU’s Global Europe proposal was also reduced, while Ireland provided funding that helped reopen some Sudan operations.

These roles are connected. When government funding falls, Unicef may lack supplies and charities may close programmes or reduce staff. Ireland’s support could reopen only about one-third of Concern’s Sudan operations. The article does not describe private donors in detail, but it shows charities cannot maintain their previous scale without external funding.

International support helped Somalia avoid famine during 2022 and 2023 by sustaining emergency health and feeding services. Richard Nunn says the country’s support at that time prevented famine. The aid did not remove Somalia’s underlying risks, but it helped keep essential facilities and treatment available when people were most vulnerable.

Since then, donor support has fallen sharply. During the first year of US funding cuts, about 300 health facilities closed. Concern shut half its feeding centres and clinics, reduced its geographical coverage and cut its Somalia staff from 170 to 100. Even though Concern’s programmes were not directly exposed to US government cuts, other donors also pulled back.

Nunn says the situation is not yet as serious as it was two and a half years earlier. However, clinics are more crowded and have fewer workers, while people must travel farther for help. Depending on the rains and El Niño, he warns Somalia could face a truly dire situation again.

Humanitarian aid depends on donor funding because it is organised for crises across many countries rather than delivered through one permanent local system. Governments and charitable organisations decide how much money to provide, often through budgets and grants. Agencies then use that money for staff, transport, supplies, clinics and feeding centres. The article shows what happens when those decisions change suddenly.

The United States closed USAID and cut foreign aid, while Unicef became squeezed for funds. Concern responded by closing country programmes, reducing staff and shutting services. In Somalia, about 300 health facilities closed and half of Concern’s feeding centres and clinics were lost. In Liberia, nutritional treatments ran out nationwide because supplies could not be maintained.

This model can respond rapidly when money is available, but it is vulnerable when donors retreat. Ireland’s funding reopened only about one-third of Concern’s Sudan operations. The article does not examine the wider financing model in detail, but it shows that services remain dependent on continued support rather than guaranteed provision.