A representative of a women’s rights organization in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq said: “Many projects supporting suicide survivors and domestic violence victims were reliant on U.S. funding. When it stopped, we had nothing to continue the work.” Syrian refugees and Jordanians with disabilities, including children promised prosthetics and wheelchairs, were left on waiting lists after the closure of a U.S.-funded program. Many did not have resources to access assistive technologies without the program's support.
Date: 6/26
Region: Middle East & North Africa
Country: Iraq
Topic: Gender Equality & Inclusion, Health
Policy Lens: Moral Leadership
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: Women for Women International is an international NGO supporting women in conflict-affected countries. This finding draws on consultations the organization conducted in 2025 across Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on the Women, Peace and Security landscape, examining the funding climate and civic space for women's rights work. In early 2025, the organization conducted consultations with women’s rights organizations in the regions it works.
Participants in the organization's Kurdistan Region consultations described the destabilizing effect of sudden donor withdrawals following U.S. policy shifts, including USAID's termination of all programming and the redirection of donor attention toward other crises. Protection-related work was especially affected: several programs were halted mid-cycle, leaving survivors without services and staff without employment, in a context where women's rights organizations reported relying heavily on USAID and comparable donors to sustain legal aid, GBV response, and domestic violence survivor support.
Source: Women for Women International