8 July 2025

At Women in Global Health, we believe that the women who hold up our health systems must also shape their future. Across our global network, women leaders, health workers, researchers, and advocates are raising their voices about an emerging crisis, one that too often remains invisible in donor statements and policy debates.

Recent cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA) are triggering a silent emergency that disproportionately affects women on the frontlines. In countries like Togo, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and beyond, women health professionals are facing job losses, stalled careers, and deep erosion of community health initiatives. Programs once sustained by international support are being scaled back or shut down entirely.

These are not abstract numbers. They are cancelled programs, lost jobs, silenced voices, and stalled careers. They are midwives with no tools, researchers without funding, doctors working without pay, and entire communities suddenly without care.

The testimonies that follow come directly from our movement—women across Africa, Asia, and beyond who are living the consequences of shrinking funding and systemic disregard. Their stories reveal both the fragility of progress in gender equity and the resilience of those who continue to fight for dignity, leadership, and justice in global health.

We invite you to read and reflect on these stories. Let them remind us that every budget cut has a face, and every missed opportunity for investment is a missed chance to build a fairer, more equitable world.

Togo

“In Togo, women health professionals are facing a wave of challenges brought on by cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA). Community programs supporting reproductive health, maternal care, and education for girls are being scaled back or shut down entirely. Health workers are losing their jobs, forced into unpaid roles, or denied training and career growth opportunities.

Several partner organizations that previously benefited from international funding have had to scale down or completely stop their activities. This has led to: cancellation of awareness-raising sessions in rural areas on sexual and reproductive rights, discontinuation of free access programs for contraception so family planning and  drastic decrease in funding for ongoing training for midwives and community health workers, who are often on the frontlines. 

In my professional circle, several colleagues involved in local NGOs or co-funded projects have lost their jobs or been forced to volunteer due to lack of financial support. This not only weakens their economic security but also limits the impact of their work on the most vulnerable women.

Personally, I am working to launch an integrated women’s health center that embraces a holistic approach to female well-being. However, access to appropriate funding, especially for start-up support and training of a multidisciplinary team is becoming increasingly difficult. Available funds are often redirected toward other priorities or short-term projects, even as community needs continue to grow. 

These shifts are undermining efforts to advance women’s rights, health, leadership, and economic empowerment. It is urgent to remind the global community that every budget cut has a face often a woman’s and carries profound human consequences.”

— Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, Togo

“In my role as a health facility director in Togo, I’ve witnessed first-hand how recent cuts in Official Development Assistance (ODA) are quietly but deeply affecting women in the health workforce. 

Many community health programs led by women, including maternal health outreach, adolescent girls’ education, and reproductive health sensitization, have been scaled down or stopped altogether due to funding gaps. Several of the female contract staff who were part of these initiatives have lost their jobs or seen their hours cut, with no alternative support systems in place. This instability has had a direct impact on their mental health, income security, and leadership progression. Some were in line for supervisory roles, but the discontinuation of their contracts stalled their growth and shattered their confidence. 

At the institutional level, budget reallocations have prioritized infrastructure over capacity building and wellness programs, often side-lining gender-focused leadership training. As a result, women’s voices in decision-making spaces are shrinking again after years of progress. 

These changes are not just financial, they’re systemic setbacks. We urgently need to protect the gains made in women’s leadership and ensure that future funding models don’t erase the efforts of those who carry the backbone of our health systems.”

—  Medical Doctor, Togo

Nigeria

“Due to recent cuts in development assistance, a community maternal health project I supported in rural Rivers State lost critical funding for training traditional birth attendants and providing delivery kits.

This setback reduced the frequency of outreaches and affected women’s access to safe delivery options.

It also limited leadership opportunities for young female health workers who were being mentored through the project. These cuts are silently reversing progress made in women’s health and leadership development in underserved communities. “

— Medical Doctor, Nigeria

“The impact of recent ODA (Official Development Assistance) cuts has pierced the lives and wellbeing of those of us in global health, especially women in leadership. Until the abrupt stop-work order halted my organization’s funding, I held a senior leadership role that gave me purpose and stability. In an instant, I lost not just income, but also direction. 

As a single mother and sole provider, the fallout was brutal. I had to relocate the same month my contract ended, with my savings drained and no financial cushion in sight. There were weeks I didn’t step outside—not by choice, but because the weight of not knowing what came next was simply too much. I sat in silence, watching rejection emails pile up, each one chipping away at my confidence. It has been a dark, grey stretch, where I’ve questioned my value, my progress, and even my identity. 

This stillness wasn’t rest. It was grief. What hurts more is the silence, the invisible cost of donor decisions made far from the realities they disrupt. The ripple effect is profound: women leaders are stepping away, others are stretched thin just trying to hold on, and many are grieving the sudden loss of work we’ve poured years of ourselves into. 

And yet, I’m holding on. Volunteering, consulting, building something new. Trying to stay anchored in purpose while navigating instability. But make no mistake: this moment is testing the very resilience we’ve built our careers upon.

For many women like me, it’s testing our mental health, our ability to lead, and our sense of safety in the systems we helped strengthen.

In moments like this, the role of communities like Women in Global Health becomes even more critical. Beyond advocacy, we need practical solidarity, emergency grants, mental health support, leadership transition fellowships, and platforms that help women remain visible and valued even when funding disappears. We need spaces to share, grieve, and rebuild together. Because the cost of these cuts cannot be silence, and the response cannot be invisibility. We’ve come too far for that.”

—  Medical Doctor, Nigeria

“This is both a global and a local health challenge. One thing I have been able to do is to speak to stakeholders on the need to adapt to the change and advocate to our Government on the need to set priorities right.

In Nigeria, political offices take more than 50% of the total income of the Nation, we have seen over and over that the political leaders pay themselves so much remunerations and allowances of all kinds. We have also witnessed how these politicians skyrocket contacts for themselves, accumulate so many material things including cars, houses, yachts, private jets, limited edition clothing, and designers at the expense of the people. I strongly believe that if there is a redirection and appropriate usage of funds, the cuts from ODA would not impact so much on Nigeria as it is now.”

— Public Health Physician, Nigeria

Malawi

“In my leadership journey, I encountered a deeply challenging moment that exposed the lingering biases against women’s capacity to lead complex initiatives. 

I was tasked with managing a highly technical project involving a diverse and complex consortium of partners. Despite my qualifications and track record, the senior management team, largely male began to express doubt in my ability to handle the project. While no one explicitly mentioned my gender, the tone and content of the emails, the second-guessing, and the suggestion to bring back a former officer whose contract had ended made the underlying message clear: they didn’t believe a woman could lead such a high-stakes effort and the justification was that, they had identified gaps in me even before given a chance and they did not have evidence of my under performance since all my annual performance reviews indicated that I have been performing exceptionally well and beyond the organisation and donor’s expectations. 

Rather than step back, I stood firmly by my principles and leaned into my technical expertise, strategic thinking, and ability to foster collaboration across stakeholders. I justified my capacity and demonstrated results, pushing back against attempts to undermine my position. Eventually, I survived what was an unjust attempt at terminating my contract. That moment reinforced my belief in the importance of women holding space at the decision-making table and staying there, even when the room grows cold. At the same time, I’ve seen how cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA) and shifts in global health funding are disproportionately affecting women in the workforce.

In my network, several women-led programs have been downsized or defunded, leading to job losses and reduced opportunities for mentorship, especially for young women professionals.

The ripple effects are real, from mental strain to loss of momentum in gender equity efforts. These shifts make it even harder for women to access leadership roles or sustain the gains we’ve fought so hard to make. Stories like mine and others within my professional circles show that while progress has been made, the foundation is still fragile and it is often women who bear the brunt when systems are shaken.”

— Program Manager, Malawi

“Our institution is being given a 30% federal funding cut and is expected to operate for a few months with minimal resources. As such, we will be retrenching. Due to this, many women in the global south have lost their jobs.”

— Public Relations Officer, Malawi

Zimbabwe

“I have had two consultancy assignments withdrawn and projects l have been working on stopped.

This has led me into financial distress and increased my dependence on my ex partner.

l feel frustrated because l have lost the progress l have made in my leadership journey and also lost my drive. However, this has given me time to reflect on the need to build resilience in the women health work force and psychosocial support structures.

l have participated in an Africa CDC Mental Health Leadership Course and l plan to use what l learnt to build capacity in mental health for working women.”

— Public Health Consultant, Zimbabwe

“In Mhandarume District, Zimbabwe, cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA) have had a significant and distressing impact on women working in community health and development. 

Many of these women were engaged in programs that focused on sexual and reproductive health, HIV awareness, and disability inclusion critical services in rural areas with limited access to formal healthcare. These programs not only provided essential health education and support to underserved populations, but also empowered women by creating job opportunities, building leadership, and fostering community trust. With ODA funding reduced, several local initiatives have been scaled back or discontinued entirely. As a result, numerous women including community health workers, peer educators, and program facilitators have lost their jobs or seen their roles drastically diminished.

For many, this has meant not only a loss of income, but also the erosion of their role as respected leaders and change-makers in their communities.

Some have tried to continue the work voluntarily, driven by passion and commitment. However, without the resources, transportation, or materials previously provided through donor support, their reach and impact have been severely limited. The situation has left many women feeling frustrated, unsupported, and forgotten, despite the vital role they play in the health and well-being of their communities.

When funding is withdrawn, it is the most marginalized who are hit hardest and women on the frontlines of global health are often the first to suffer. The rollback of support not only undermines progress in gender equality and inclusive healthcare, but also threatens the sustainability of grassroots leadership built over years of effort.”

— Gender Advocate and Paramedic, Zimbabwe

West and Central Africa

“Our research institution relies heavily on external partnerships to sustain our activities and provide continuous training opportunities.

Through an initiative led by WHO HRP, we established a regional research capacity-building hub, which included training programs aimed at strengthening institutional expertise. This initiative allowed me to pursue a doctoral program through a scholarship while also coordinating the project, ensuring that gender equity was a core principle in the selection and development of young researchers. As a result, we successfully increased female expertise within research teams across Francophone West Africa and parts of Central Africa. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints faced by our partners, we were unable to sustain this initiative. 

The discontinuation of funding has significantly impacted training opportunities, mentorship programs, and institutional capacity-building efforts, limiting the ability of young researchers, especially women, to advance in their careers and contribute to gender-transformative health research.”

— Public Health Researcher, West and Central Africa Region

As a result of the ODA, many women especially those working in NGOs have lost their jobs while some are experiencing low pay but with the same amount of work. This imbalance causes stress and other psychological and emotional issues to women.
Public Health Expert, Cameroon

With the limited financial resources of the association of women doctors, we have contributed to awareness raising, screening and training of women’s communities and we are satisfied with this.”

— Public Health Doctor, Ivory Coast

Sudan

“The workforce cuts are a mean of causing a surplus and a degradation of the workforce in order to serve the capitalist structure.  More than a decade ago we used to question the funding apparatus and how it is not meeting its purpose in the global south.

Promoting women’s use of feminist methods should focus on putting health above militarisation and the harmful habits that the system is intended to support.

The goal should be to close the wealth gap between rich and poor nations and to assist them in creating green funds that can be used for development and health. The fundamental argument for raising people’s standard of living is to end the resource exploitation that is taking place in the southern part of the world and deal with all of the resources. Taxation and other financial factors should be carefully considered in order to support health and development.”

— Independent Consultant, Sudan

Austria

“Not all is doom and gloom. Me and a colleague of the same role and position have been notified that our roles won’t be extended beyond 2025. However, my colleague, as she is currently on maternal leave, is given 4 extra months of employment to apply for internal job openings. I appreciate my organization for not making a woman on maternity leave unemployed soon after her return.”

— Grant Coordinator, Austria

What You Can Do?

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Share these stories on social media to spotlight the impact of global health cuts on women and demand policies and investments that center women’s leadership.

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Are you witnessing the impact of these changes in your community or workplace?

We want to hear from you. Share your experience by emailing us at communications@womeningh.org and add your voice to this growing movement.