Organizations of persons with disabilities reported facing community backlash when U.S.-funded programs closed. One representative in the country said: “They said we lied to them.” Another noted that the community labeled them as dishonest and fraudulent because they could no longer honor their commitments.
Date: 6/26
Region: Africa
Country: Liberia
Topic: Gender Equality & Inclusion, Governance & Rights
Policy Lens: Moral Leadership
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: This information comes from a report produced by Inclusive Development Partners, or IDP, a research and technical assistance organization. Using a mixed-methods design under IRB approval from the University of Massachusetts Boston, the study triangulated a global survey of staff from 82 projects across 80 implementing organizations with key informant interviews and focus group discussions across eight countries where IDP had existing programs: Bangladesh, El Salvador, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Data collection took place between January and March 2026.
According to IDP, because organizations of persons with disabilities had been the visible face of USAID-funded programs in their communities, they bore the full weight of community anger when programs ended.
Source: Inclusive Development Partners