The disbanding of USAID and the sudden, severe cuts to US foreign aid have devastated child protection efforts for Rohingya children living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Thousands of schools and youth training centers have closed, leaving children without safe spaces, education, or support—and pushing them directly into harm.

Despite claims by the current US administration that “no one has died” as a result of shutting down USAID, a recent study estimates that US funding cuts could ultimately result in more than 14 million deaths. Tragically, millions of those deaths will not be immediate or visible. They will unfold through forced child marriage, dangerous labor, recruitment by armed groups, and trafficking across borders.

 “If the school hadn’t closed, I wouldn’t be trapped in this life” 

Hasina was just 16 when she was married against her will to an older man who regularly beats her. She says the only moments of relief she gets are when she is completely alone. In those moments, she thinks about the school that once gave her safety, structure, and hope.

Hasina said in an ABC article: 

I dreamed of being something, of working for the community, (but now) my life is destroyed. If the school hadn’t closed, I wouldn’t be trapped in this life.

Hasina is not alone. She is one of thousands of children who were previously protected by schools and youth centers—spaces that have now shut their doors following the dismantling of USAID and the loss of critical funding. Children who once spent their days learning are now roaming overcrowded camps with nowhere to go and no one to protect them.

Tell me more