Like him, millions of children around the world are being plagued by radical cuts ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
All struggle with difficulties in one form or another: war, crime, global warming, poverty, disease, etc.
Ahmed, who suffers from spinal deformity, was unable to keep his torso upright and was paralyzed from his waist.
The boy is undergoing a physical therapy course from Disability International to “strengthen his upper limbs and enable him to walk on crutches,” said his father, Mahmud Abdulrahman, a 30-year-old day labourer. salary. Now, none of this will happen.
Their WEHDAT Rehabilitation Center, which they attended in Amman, the Jordanian capital, was one of the earliest victims of Trump’s aid cuts.
More than 600 patients found themselves deprived of care overnight.
Under Washington’s orders, prosthetics that have been designed specifically for about 30 children and wheelchairs cannot be delivered to them.
“The movement taught will be forgotten,” said Dr. Abdullah Hmoud, a physical therapist who works in the center, who described the potential losses as “disastrous.”
There is also emotional pain.
When he realized he wouldn’t see his physical therapist again, “Ahmed stopped eating for three days. He didn’t want to get up,” his father said.
As his rehabilitation center closed, “I feel like they want to kill me,” the boy said in a quiet voice.
– Global Radiation –
Ahmad’s story is one of many horror records that have emerged from the humanitarian sector, as the United States says it is cutting 83% of its aid.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – the Trump administration has demolished – supports 42% of all aid allocated globally with a budget of $42.8 billion.
In a refugee camp in Bangladesh, there are homes of one million Rohingya Muslims who were persecuted in Myanmar, and half of them saved the children and were forced to give food.
NGOs fear that desperate families may be urged to hand over their daughter to traffickers or send their son to work in Malaysia.
In Mozambique, international solidarity had to close a program that provides food and water for internally displaced persons, including thousands of children.
Another NGO said similar numbers would no longer receive school meals for free in Malawi, which has requested anonymity for fear of U.S. retaliation.
NGOs say many children will drop out of school without food – millions of meals reportedly rotted in warehouses due to the U.S. decision.
“It’s like a carpet being pulled out from under their feet,” said one staff member.
– “The Last Lifeline” –
Women and girls are often the first to fail, traditionally sacrificing their education.
The Norwegian Refugee Council said it would have to “significantly reduce” aid to Afghan women and girls, as U.S. funds pay many of the female employees who work with them.
“For many women and girls, the last life will be taken away,” said Camilla Waszink, director of the organization.
Malnutrition has affected 150 million children under the age of five, and the number may surge.
“Millions of children will suffer from hindered growth” and brain capacity damage, said Kevin Goldberg, director of Solidarites International.
In another blow to children, Washington is expected to significantly reduce funding for vaccination programs in poor countries.
Sania Nishtar, CEO of the Vaccine Alliance, warned that if confirmed, it could result in “an estimated 1.3 million children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
