UK Aid Cuts: Children’s Education and Lives at Stake
The UK government’s decision to reduce its international aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, a move announced by Labour leader Keir Starmer in 2025, has been linked to severe disruptions in essential education and health services across countries including Ethiopia, DRC, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. According to the FCDO’s impact assessment, over 170,000 children in the DRC will lose access to a girls’ education programme that is scheduled to close early in 2025–26. Many of the affected programmes also focus on children with disabilities and equality-driven initiatives.
Hidden Toll: From Schools to Disease and Death
This policy shift goes beyond classroom closures. Health spending is also projected to fall sharply—nearly 45% in the 2024–25 year and another 46% by 2025–26—undermining disease prevention, vaccinations, and nutrition programs.NGOs like Save the Children warn that at least 1.8 million children across more than 20 countries—including Tanzania, Syria, and the DRC—will be denied education, while malnutrition-related child deaths could spike by hundreds of thousands annually.
Global Condemnation: Critics Call It a Betrayal
International development groups and policymakers have roundly condemned the cuts as both morally and economically flawed. Save the Children’s director Moazzam Malik described the move as “a retreat from global responsibility,” affecting roughly 60 million people, with women and children disproportionately harmed. The ONE Campaign characterises the cuts as “chaotic and reckless,” estimating that around 38 million children could miss out on immunisations, and some 600,000 lives may no longer be saved due to a reduction in vaccine support and vital humanitarian aid.
