In early July, the Suuqa Xoolaha Center for Mothers and Children, a hospital in southern Somalia, ceased operations. The hospital’s closure, which involved locking its front gate and terminating staff, including doctors and midwives, was a direct consequence of funding cuts from the United States.
According to the Times, the Trump administration’s decision to cut aid resulted in the loss of funds that covered salaries and medical supplies for the facility.
Khadija Ali, 25, arrived at the hospital a few days after its closure, unaware of the situation. In the late stages of labor and accompanied by her aunt, she had traveled from a camp for displaced people outside the city to the hospital that offered free maternal care.
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She desperately pounded on the door, crying and expressing her fear of death if she could not deliver her child inside. Somalia faces one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally.
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Unable to go elsewhere due to the advanced stage of labor and lacking money for other options, Ali began giving birth outside the hospital. Neighbors, awakened by the commotion, brought her into their home, where she delivered a healthy baby girl.
News of Ali’s difficult midnight birth quickly circulated among the hospital’s laid-off staff. Nurse-midwife Khadija Noor Adan was disturbed by the story and decided she could no longer stay home while women were forced to give birth in the street.
Her colleagues felt the same way, ready to get the hospital open again.
“We decided, now it is time to work for the community,” she said. “Despite the fact we have no salary, we feel a responsibility to come to work.”
Even without getting paid, the hospital staff—doctors, counselors, cleaners, and the pharmacist—managed to get the facility back up and running just days after the news got out.
“Whether you get something or nothing, you have to do what you can for your society,” said Abdikadir Hassan, the pharmacist.
The government-run medical center, located near a livestock market on the outskirts of Baidoa (a city with 750,000 residents), has really struggled since an extra 770,000 people, displaced by drought and war, moved into makeshift camps around town.
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Even though it’s technically a government hospital, it completely depended on foreign aid for staff and equipment, like most other health facilities in the country. While officials could theoretically open their doors again and welcome staff back, they can’t because of the lack of outside support.
Previously, the United States was Somalia’s primary donor, annually contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to initiatives in health, nutrition, shelter, and sanitation. The majority of these funds were distributed through the United Nations and various nongovernmental organizations responsible for delivering these services.
On March 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the cancellation of 5,200 foreign aid contracts, representing 83% of those previously administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to Think Global Health. Rubio’s department, which absorbed USAID, said it will now oversee the remaining 1,000 contracts. Before its dissolution, USAID had a significant international presence, employing over 10,000 staff in more than 100 countries, including the United States.
In 2024, USAID contributed $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid to sub-Saharan Africa, representing less than 0.1% of the federal budget.
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