On the floor of their tiny makeshift home in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, her mother Fatima Begum feeds Sofiya by rubbing her gums with a food paste designed to treat severe malnutrition.
These life-saving packets were provided by the US government, labeled with the logo of USAID – a legacy of the now-defunct organization which was dismantled by the Trump administration in January. With US aid cuts of $8 billion annually, a gaping hole has been left in international aid.
The impact is already being felt in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, where UNICEF reports an alarming 11% rise in the number of children with acute malnutrition between January and September this year.
The remaining USAID supplies are now running out, and Begum says their regular food donations are also decreasing.
“Before, they gave more food, but now they don’t,” Begum said. “They don’t give fruits like before. They don’t give fish. Still, I’m thankful for whatever they give.”
Continue reading the complete article on the original source
