Many organizations in Southeast Asia fall into crisis after USAID suspension

Nonprofits in Southeast Asia are in crisis after the Trump administration froze nearly all foreign aid on January 20. Migrant worker advocacy, wildlife conservation, LGBTQ rights and other sectors have been hit hard.

Manushya Foundation, a Bangkok-based NGO, was among the hardest hit. Its founder, Emilie Palamy Pradichit, said their main source of funding came from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

When USAID was shut down, Manushya had to cut staff, scale back operations, and abandon some of the activist safe houses. In 2025 alone, the organization lost $560,000 in funding, leaving activists in a precarious situation.

USAID is working with partners to distribute thousands of emergency relief items to communities in the Philippines affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. Photo: Facebook/USAIDAsia

The US is the world's largest aid donor with $54 billion allocated in fiscal year 2024. The dissolution of USAID proposed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has caused a widespread crisis.

The USAID cuts affect 5,200 of the 6,200 global programs. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move was aimed at eliminating “tens of billions of dollars” of wasted spending.

Southeast Asia suffered severely, with USAID managing $1 billion of its $4.1 billion in aid for East Asia and the Pacific. Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand all lost significant funding.

In Indonesia, the $70 million USAID BEBAS TB program is on hold, threatening efforts to combat HIV and TB. The Philippines has also been hit by a loss of funding for HIV programs, forcing LGBTQ rights groups to seek alternative sources of support. In Vietnam, USAID cuts have affected programs to rehabilitate war victims and clear unexploded ordnance.

LGBTQ health services in Thailand are also in crisis. SWING Thailand reports that nearly 700,000 people who benefit from HIV/AIDS services would lose access without USAID. Many NGOs in Thailand, such as the Isaan Gender Diversity Network Foundation, are at risk of closing.

It’s not just the health sector that’s been affected. Some private media outlets are also feeling the impact. The Irrawaddy, a news site run by Myanmar exiles in Thailand, is struggling after losing funding. Kaona Saowakun, vice president of the Isaan Foundation, warned that many LGBTQ organizations in Thailand will be forced to scale back or close.

In response to the US aid cut, other countries have stepped up to compensate. China is expanding its humanitarian aid in the region, including health, education and sanitation projects. China has paid for a demining project in Cambodia that the US had previously funded. Australia has adjusted its aid budget, pledging $119 million to development programs in the Indo-Pacific for economic, health and climate support.

Ngoc Anh (according to CNA, Bernama)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nhieu-to-chuc-o-dong-nam-a-roi-vao-khung-hoang-sau-khi-usaid-bi-dinh-chi-post340280.html