Humanitarian Aid Cuts Threaten Women’s Rights in Africa: What’s at Stake and How to Help
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A looming crisis is quietly threatening the lives and rights of women across Africa. As global humanitarian funding declines, women’s rights and women-led organisations the lifeblood of community-based support in times of crisis are being pushed to the brink. According to a new UN Women report, At a Breaking Point: The Impact of Foreign Aid Cuts on Women’s Organizations in Humanitarian Crises Worldwide, nearly half of such organisations globally may be forced to shut down within six months. For women and girls in Africa, already disproportionately affected by conflict, displacement and poverty, the implications are dire.
Across 44 crisis-affected countries surveyed including several in Africa 90 per cent of women-led and women’s rights organisations report that reductions in foreign aid have already affected their work. In fact, 62 per cent have had to reduce services, including emergency healthcare, support for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), and livelihoods programming. With humanitarian needs at an all-time high and donor governments cutting back foreign aid budgets, local organisations especially those led by women are among the hardest hit.
Africa, a continent grappling with protracted crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, and beyond, stands on fragile ground. Women and girls in these regions are bearing the brunt of conflict, climate disasters, and displacement. According to UN Women, over 500 women and girls die each day in crisis settings from preventable pregnancy and childbirth complications. In settings like Sudan, where violent conflict and mass displacement continue, local women-led organisations have become the mainstay of humanitarian response providing shelter, medical care, psychosocial support, and essential protection services.
Yet, global aid flows are shrinking. In 2024, the UN requested nearly USD 45 billion for humanitarian response globally. By mid-year, just 7 per cent of that had been met. While the entire humanitarian system is under strain, the effects are not evenly distributed. Women-led organisations globally received less than 1 per cent of all humanitarian aid between 2021 and 2022, a figure that starkly illustrates systemic underfunding. In Africa, where these organisations often operate in hard-to-reach areas and serve marginalised communities, such funding is a lifeline.
The implications of these cuts extend beyond mere organisational survival. In many African contexts, women’s rights organisations are the only ones providing specialised services to survivors of GBV, the elderly, LGBTIQ+ individuals, women with disabilities, and displaced persons. Without them, these communities are left without protection, advocacy, or support.
In crisis-hit countries like South Sudan and the Central African Republic, cuts have already triggered dangerous rollbacks. UN Women notes that 67 per cent of service cuts globally have affected GBV prevention and response, followed by health care and livelihoods support. In these settings, the loss of services translates directly into rising violence, untreated trauma, economic despair, and preventable deaths.
The Strategic Role of Women’s Organisations
Women’s rights organisations in Africa do far more than deliver aid. They are community anchors trusted leaders who understand cultural contexts, power dynamics, and local needs. They are also agents of long-term change, driving economic empowerment, social resilience, and women’s inclusion in decision-making spaces.
Research cited by UN Women shows that gender-responsive humanitarian programming yields a return of USD 8 for every dollar invested. Yet only 1.3 per cent of humanitarian funding in 2024 has been allocated to programming addressing gender-based violence. This contradiction underscores a broader failure to recognise the strategic value of investing in women-led response.
What Can Be Done?
The current crisis demands urgent action from donors, governments, international agencies, and individuals alike. First, donor governments must commit to direct, flexible, and long-term funding for women-led and women’s rights organisations, especially in African countries on the front lines of crisis. These funds must be accessible and responsive to the realities of small, grassroots organisations that often lack the capacity to navigate complex funding mechanisms.
Second, women’s participation in humanitarian coordination and leadership must be prioritised. Local knowledge and leadership should be treated not as complementary but as central to humanitarian effectiveness.
Finally, public support and solidarity are vital. Individuals can donate to reputable organisations, including UN Women and its local partners, who are working tirelessly to keep services running. Sharing stories, data, and calls to action can help keep the issue visible and press for policy change.
As Sofia Calltorp, Chief of UN Women Humanitarian Action, warns, “Women and girls simply cannot afford to lose the lifelines that women’s organisations are providing.” For Africa’s women, the stakes could not be higher. This is not only a question of aid it is a matter of justice, equity, and survival.
