As international aid budgets are slashed and USAID dismantled, millions are left vulnerable. But in this moment of global uncertainty, Australia – and indeed the Church – has a choice: to retreat, or to lead with radical hope and generosity that reflects who we are and the world we want to shape.
You know that wild phenomenon that happens when earthquakes are so strong and the soil so sandy and unstable that it causes the earth to move like waves over water? It’s called liquefaction, and it can have devastating and dangerous effects. Buildings crack and collapse and the ground becomes dangerously unstable, making it difficult to rebuild.
For so many of us, reading the day’s headlines can leave us feeling like we’re walking on dangerous ground. What has been the accepted ‘global order’ of our lifetime seems to be in a moment of great reshuffling. One recent example of this was US President Trump’s executive order to freeze billions of dollars of foreign aid funds in early February, which was carried out by billionaire Elon Musk.
Much like Australian Aid, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was responsible for the nation’s humanitarian efforts globally. In 2023, it provided nearly $72 billion USD to fund life-saving programs like nutrition, water, and health care for the world’s poorest and most marginalised people. This humanitarian aid was used to build peace and security, fuel economic development, promote the rights and dignity of all people, and make education more accessible. And then? It stopped.
By late March, it was official. The US administration announced its decision to permanently cut 83% of all its programs and fully merge USAID with another government agency.
“While USAID is not without flaws, the few questionable programs unearthed – though worthy of scrutiny – represent a tiny fraction of the overall aid budget,” says Tim Costello, Executive Director of Micah Australia and former leader of World Vision Australia. “Allegations that USAID is rife with waste, corruption, or misaligned foreign policy objectives remain largely unsubstantiated.”
Despite room for improvement, this sudden and ill-advised decision to throw the entire system ‘into the wood chipper’ as Musk quipped posed a very real and almost instant threat to the millions of people around the world depending on these lifesaving programs funded by USAID. More so, as the world’s largest single donor of aid in the world – some 40% according to the United Nations – the decision threatened to bring the entire global humanitarian structure to the ground and undo decades of progress towards the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
This was not a situation of turning off the funding tap. It was like turning off a fire hose.
Programs to prevent malaria, treat malnutrition and disease in young children, and food aid to families living through famine ended overnight. That was in Ethiopia alone. Imagine the full-scale impact when we consider the other 176 countries and 29 regions who have historically benefited from USAID’s support.
Even some of Tearfund Australia’s partners were amongst those with projects directly impacted. Programs for displaced people in Somalia and South Sudan, fistula treatment and care for women in Nepal, and mental health support for people in Afghanistan. These are just some examples of the good work you support that need alternative funding to survive.
Reactions from those working in global aid and development have spanned from rage to despair. Humanitarians who feel as though they are watching their life’s work crumble to the ground. Partners and organisations who worry how they will keep their doors open and their programs afloat. A general feeling that the world has lost its ability to empathise.
And yet, the United States is not alone in their decision. In fact, more countries have since slashed their foreign aid budgets, including the UK, in an act of self-protectionism. Here at home, we are wrestling with the same tensions. The difference here in Australia compared to our counterparts in, for example, the United States, is that once our people know how little we actually spend on aid – only 0.65% of the Federal Budget – Australians in general are still on board with international aid and even in favour of increasing aid, according to recent research from the Redbridge Group.
What’s also encouraging is Australians’ attitudes towards foreign aid compared to other nations. Where some populations view aid as ‘pouring water through a sieve’, 85 per cent of Australians believe that aid in times of emergency or extreme poverty is somewhat to very important. Sixty-seven per cent of Australians do not think aid spending should be reduced.
This means that Australians have the opportunity to push back on the global narrative of aid being wasteful, and instead uphold it as a wise investment – an investment in a more peaceful and prosperous world and an investment in a more peaceful and prosperous Australia.
For example, in the 2024-2025 budget, Australia strategically invested $4.3 billion in development work that promotes long-term peace, progress, and prosperity across the Pacific and beyond. These development initiatives invest in solutions that improve infrastructure, education, gender equality, and health so that we can collectively thrive. Australian Aid has also made investments in clean energy solutions to combat climate change and build nations’ resilience to its effects. For instance, Australia has re-joined the Green Climate Fund with a $50 million contribution, which will help low- and middle-income countries access more climate financing to innovate climate solutions in vulnerable nations. The dividends yielded by these types of investments don’t stop at countries’ borders, but send ripple effects out into the world for all to enjoy.
Simply put: Most Australians realise that foreign aid isn’t a zero sum game. With foreign aid, everybody wins.
Still, Australia cannot operate in isolation, and myths and misconceptions about aid run rampant around the world. Many of us wonder if our leaders will be swayed by the cascade of aid budget reductions happening in circles of power. So what should be our response? Do we hang our heads in our hands and give in to feelings of anxiety and despair? Do we adopt a fatalistic worldview and focus on our own needs and desires?
Thankfully, as Christians, we have another option.
Some Good News.
We can take solace in knowing that this is not the end of the story because it’s not the end of God’s story. Call it a semicolon or an em dash perhaps, but it is not a full stop. God’s vision for a restored creation will not be derailed by changing political leaders and budget cuts.
Micah Australia puts it this way: “As followers of Jesus, we know it’s not up to us to save the world. And that’s a very good thing. Ultimately, we know how the story ends – love wins, the last shall be first, and justice will prevail.” When we remember that God is ultimately in control and not us, we can remain firm and united in Christ with a profound and radical hope that a better world for all is possible no matter the terms of the time.
This kind of hope is wildly countercultural. Some may even label it naive. In a world that bends too often towards cynicism and anxiety, this hope requires courage.
So how do we live out this radical hope and stand firm on solid ground in these uncertain times?
Hope anyway.
In these uncertain times, followers of Jesus are called to hope anyway, even if the world sees us as foolish or naive.
The Bible has several words for hope. In the Old Testament, it is captured in the Hebrew words yakhal, which can be translated as “to wait for”, and the word qavah, which captures that feeling of tension and expectation of living in the now and not yet. Qavah is in reference to the word qav or cord. Think of a cord or rope being stretched tight. This kind of hope recognises the pressure it’s under – tense and tight – but doesn’t snap. It sees a world that is broken and hurting, and it…waits.
We know God’s ultimate plan to heal and restore His creation to Himself. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” But we live in both the now and the not yet of God’s big story, so it’s normal to feel the tension. We choose to live in qavah and hope anyway, with the end of the story in mind.
How do we do this? We remember all the times God has provided in the past and wait expectantly for Him to work again. Like the prophet Hosea who lived in dark times when Israel was facing oppression and caught up in political strife. He chose to hope anyway by remembering how God delivered the Israelites out of oppression in Egypt. So too can we remember God’s great provision through the ages as we face today’s challenges head-on.
Hope through action.
As we wait in that tense space of being here in the now and the not yet, we take action – big and small – towards building God’s Kingdom here on Earth.
“Hope is not an ethereal concept. It’s boots-on-the-ground type of work. It’s action-oriented,” says Emma Wyndham Chalmers, Head of Advocacy and Church Engagement at Tearfund Australia. “Christian hope is a hope in action.” This hope through action is where the Church can shine in these uncertain times. In fact, our hope is what should set us apart. When we take action in hope’s name, we declare that we believe a better world is still to come, no matter the chaos swirling around us.
This kind of steadfast hope in hard times is also a chance to point people to Jesus and his hope for the world. Bec Oates, CEO Tearfund Australia, says, “As an organisation navigating these unchartered waters, we have an opportunity to demonstrate this same hope within Australia by remaining steadfast in our commitment to loving and caring for our global neighbours.”
Each action taken in the name of Jesus and for His Kingdom adds another cord, or qav, strengthening the hope that unites us. Many of you put this hope into action by participating in Micah Australia’s Safer World For All campaign, urging our political leaders ahead of the May election to protect and even scale up Australian Aid. Every phone call, every signature made a difference. And while the election is over and your voices were heard, the message and invitation of this campaign remains: there is a strong constituency of Christians in Australia who care about aid and don’t want our nation to retreat at this time.
Keeping hope alive.
So, as we look ahead to a future that feels uncertain, take a moment to reflect. What is your hope for the world rooted in? As followers of Jesus, we need to ensure we remain rooted in God’s bigger story of redemption, restorative, and abundance for all. Not the sandy soils of political parties and government leaders nor the false idols of comfort and stability. And we must become comfortable residing in the discomfort of qavah – of the waiting in tension with expectation. It is only through this, that we can have hope and be hope in a world that so desperately needs it.
