As governments cut aid, meet the Christians standing up for the world’s poorest

What’s left of the UK international development budget is less than we spent on fizzy drinks in 2024. Meanwhile, 25 million people missed out on lifesaving aid. One year after sweeping aid cuts sent shockwaves through the development sector, what responsibility do Christians have to the world’s poorest?

This time last year, the foreign aid sector reeled as an entire US government department was permanently closed by the Trump administration. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had previously funded initiatives around the world to the tune of $40bn and facilitated at least 500,000 aid worker jobs. Charities such as Oxfam were horrified: “The effect of these cuts on people is dire”, said the charity in a statement. “At least 23 million children stand to lose access to education, and as many as 95 million people would lose access to basic healthcare, potentially leading to more than 3 million preventable deaths per year.”