Additional Context: Women for Women International is an international NGO supporting women in conflict-affected countries. Its USAID-funded "Putting Survivors at the Center" project was terminated in February 2025. The project worked in the DRC, Iraq, and South Sudan — contexts selected for the severity of conflict, high prevalence of gender-based violence, and limited availability of survivor services. It aimed to strengthen referrals from health centers, local organizations, and institutions that do not specialize in GBV care, addressing both service gaps and the stigma that deters survivors from approaching dedicated GBV clinics. The organization reported that suspension in the project's third year forfeits the opportunity to establish and socialize those referral processes.

According to the country director's anecdotal accounts, one international NGO was forced to shut down health care clinics in refugee camps in Iraq, directly affecting tens of thousands of refugees who receive health services inside camps; another international NGO has faced operational disruptions affecting oversight of its aid work in refugee camps in Syria. This suspension has led to the cessation of critical programs and services that are delivered by a local organization in Iraq, such as providing several services for GBV survivors and supporting vulnerable women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Source: Women for Women International