Silicon Bites #87 - Trump's Freeze on US Foreign Aid is Gift to Tyrants, Aspiring Autocrats & Thugs.

Edition No87 | 31-01-2025 - There is Chaos and confusion after Trump halts US foreign aid. ‘It will kill people’, claim NGOs, charities and recipients of US aid. The new directive mat put some aid organizations at risk of bankruptcy and has caused genuine panic among NGOs fighting Russian aggression in Ukraine and Georgia. There are organization across many areas of activity threatened, with funding ranging from a few percent of total funds and income for staff right up to 90% of costs. ---------- We ran two events in Ukraine in the last two weeks. Lviv (part 2) and Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed in high definition for the channel. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras But it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv, and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will have an impact, so please help if you can. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- The sudden announcement of the pause in US foreign aid came out of the blue it seems for most NGOs and organizations. And panic quickly set in. My Ukrainian colleague’s phone was buzzing continuously when the news dropped with people in tears and trying to understand the evolving situation. The pause in aid is causing chaos inside groups ranging from health providers to landmine removers — interrupting lifesaving programs as officials struggle to understand the scope, scale and impact of the directive. Many in the aid space said they couldn’t remember any such sudden halt to funding in the past. They also didn’t understand why programs had to be stopped so that the new administration could log and review them. What we are seeing here are not conservative values at play, but a kind of revolutionary nihilism towards good governance. ---------- SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISER A project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- NEWS SOURCES: https://www.ft.com/content/e122fb95-ae23-4c82-80c8-c8904724131e https://www.newsmax.com/us/trump-funding-healthcare/2025/01/29/id/1196988/ https://kyivindependent.com/trump-suspends-aid-to-ukraine-vital-ngos-dont-know-if-theyll-survive/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/ukraine-war-briefing-shock-as-trump-aid-freeze-hits-ukrainian-causes https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/27/chaos-confusion-trump-u-s-foreign-aid-00200771 https://www.euronews.com/2025/01/29/us-freeze-on-foreign-aid-funding-is-a-death-sentence-for-people-in-need-ngos-warn https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-freeze-us-aid-rings-alarm-bells-thailand-ukraine-2025-01-28/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemysl https://kharpp.com/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ----------