THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL-MAY 2025 51 LIVES UPENDED The Impact of USAID’s Dismantling on Those Who Serve SERVICE DISRUPTED For members of the U.S. Foreign Service, the mission is what matters. Foreign Service members and their families pack up their lives and go where their country needs them, serving across the world in challenging environments. USAID Foreign Service officers serve in the toughest places—the poorest, the least secure, the least developed—because these are the places where their work makes the biggest difference. They stop diseases from reaching our borders, which keeps all Americans healthier. They ensure children are fed where they live, keeping would-be migrants in their homes. They buy U.S. products and deliver them to the people and places where the products are most needed, which helps U.S. farmers and businesses prosper. As the dismantling of USAID continues, staff are being fired, partner organizations are not being paid for their work, and USAID members and their families face life-altering uncertainty and disruption. The following testimonials from USAID FSOs are part of the “Service Disrupted” AFSA public outreach campaign highlighting the experiences of diplomats and development professionals whose work has been disrupted by recent policy decisions—and the impact of those decisions on Americans. While we cannot share them all here, we hope what follows will shed light on the profound toll these decisions have taken on those who serve. These stories have been lightly edited for clarity. We will continue to share stories in the FSJ and on our social media channels as we receive them. If you have a story to share, please send it to humans-of-fs@afsa.org. We honor and thank our USAID colleagues and family members for their service. —The Editors FEATURE
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