Three women, three countries and a global crisis

"The United States, along with major European donors such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France, has opted for drastic cuts to development aid. When world leaders prioritize rearmament over cooperation, women are the ones who suffer most. That is why, this March 8th, we wanted to focus on the women of the Global South."

"Tamanna lives in Afghanistan, the only country in the world where half of the population—that is, women—cannot work, study, or even sing. When one of the few options available to women, working for an NGO, became impossible due to the lack of international funding, her life came to a standstill."

"What you have in your hands is a collaborative process, created by women, through which we have tried to convey with as little distortion as possible the reality that affects millions of women around the world."

Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Colombia face severe humanitarian crises exacerbated by drastic cuts in international development aid from the United States and major European donors including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. These funding reductions disproportionately impact women in the Global South, who face the most severe consequences. The article presents stories of three women—Tamanna in Afghanistan, Hamada in Nigeria, and Carmen in Colombia—illustrating how reduced funding affects their lives. In Afghanistan, women face gender apartheid under Taliban rule, with NGO employment becoming impossible due to funding collapse. In Nigeria, pregnant women and mothers experience particular hardship from aid cuts. The reporting represents collaborative work by female journalists from each country, an illustrator, and editors working to authentically convey the reality affecting millions of women globally.

Read at english.elpais.com