A 90-day stop-work order means many clinics around the world will shut and vital care will be withheld

*This article originally appeared on The Guardian

International health organizations have warned that Donald Trump’s push to dismantle US foreign aid and orders barring diversity, equity and inclusion are destroying programs that once provided healthcare to millions of women and girls worldwide.

Providers said a 90-day stop-work order imposed by the Department of State to “review” contracts for compliance with the new administration’s orders means many clinics, which operate on shoestring budgets, will never reopen – pausing services for everything from cervical cancer screenings to HIV treatment to the removal of intrauterine contraceptive devices.

“The whole ecosystem is crumbling,” said Dr Carole Sekimpi, a doctor in Uganda and senior director for Africa with MSI Reproductive Choices, a UK-based non-profit that provides family planning services around the world, and which expects to lose $14m in US funding.

“Ninety days later – we’re going to be rebuilding from the ground … Because of the extensive damage done to the ecosystem for reproductive health and rights.”

The pause has also sown distrust, she said, as women had scheduled healthcare only to find clinics closed: “Women and girls walked up one morning and there was no care.”

The US provides $8.2bn each year for foreign humanitarian aid, about 1% of total US spending. That money supports programs that touch the lives of tens of millions of people globally, particularly in countries with weak health systems or which are strategically important, such as Sudan, Uganda and Ukraine.

“Can you imagine if you are a woman seeking help, and the clinic is shut?” said Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, president and CEO of the Global Health Council. “You can’t get treatment, you can’t get care, because America has decided on a whim that you’re not worthy. That’s unfathomable.”

Read the article in its entirety here.