They were among the first of the federal employees to lose their jobs, and months later, laid off workers for the U.S. Agency for International Development are still struggling to regain their footing.
Wayan Vota, who spent decades improving technology across developing countries, created a Substack site to help his former colleagues search for new jobs. But he doesn’t have one himself.
Sara Gopalan, who worked as a USAID-implementing partner staffer for 20 years, surveyed nearly 100 other humanitarian aid workers who, like her, are currently searching for new employment.
Roughly 95% said they had lost savings and retirement funds, 60% lost access to health care, and 37% have already lost their housing. Many said they will have trouble paying their bills in the coming months. MORE