The White House announced plans to provide close to $2 billion in funding to faith-based and community groups for health and humanitarian assistance in more than a dozen countries, drawing praise from groups receiving funding and criticism from others for its emphasis on funding Christian organizations.
The assistance, which comes after the administration’s massive cuts to global support once offered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, is part of commitments detailed in the America First Global Health Strategy released by the State Department last September. It focuses on prioritizing American interests while promoting assistance in saving lives, according to the administration, which announced the funding on Thursday (Aug. 6).
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The largest portion of the funding — $1.4 billion — is expected to support some 2,500 faith-based hospitals and clinics and train and pay tens of thousands of community health workers to provide healthcare services.
World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization, and a consortium of local faith-based groups are to receive an award for a Faith and Community Initiative to provide healthcare services totaling “up to $850 million over five years, subject to the availability of funds,” the State Department said.
In addition, $570 million is earmarked for community and faith-based hospitals and clinics via memorandums of understanding signed with country governments.
A chart in the 40-page strategy report cited the influence on and “faith reach” to Christians and Muslims by faith-based clinics and hospitals in 10 African nations. “For example, faith-based providers represent over 50% of the delivery capacity in Eswatini and Uganda and over 40% in many other countries,” the report stated.
But the funding for humanitarian assistance abroad does not appear to include any U.S. based non-Christian groups. The American Jewish World Service, the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and recover from disasters both natural and human-made, for example, was not a party to the consortium set up by the State Department.
Humanitarian crisis assistance
Among the recipients, $538 million for humanitarian crisis assistance will go to Samaritan’s Purse, another evangelical aid organization, and a consortium co-led by World Vision and Compassion International in collaboration with Accord Network, all Christian Accord Network, which describes itself as a catalyst for relief and development work by “Christ-centered organizations,” had previously criticized the White House when it announced its decision last year to cut the vast majority of USAID programs.
The National Association of Evangelicals, whose humanitarian arm, World Relief, lost contracts during the USAID cuts and is part of the new funding consortium, welcomed the State Department’s announcement.
“Faith-based hospitals, clinics, community health workers and humanitarian organizations combine trusted local relationships and compassionate service with the resources and diplomatic support that government can provide,” NAE President Walter Kim said in a statement.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation called the State Department’s plans “outrageous” and noted that its allocation “includes hundreds of millions of dollars for some of the world’s largest evangelical Christian ministries.”
The State Department also recently announced funding for secular groups providing international humanitarian aid. It also said it released $600 million of congressionally approved funds to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to increase access to vaccines across the globe.
Heather Taylor, interim CEO and president of Bread for the World, a Christian anti-hunger advocacy group, said the faith-based consortiums receiving funding are led by groups with “decades of experience delivering care in the world’s hardest-to-reach places,” but more global assistance is necessary.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Adelle M. Banks, Yonat Shimron and Bob Smietana and originally published by Religion News Service.
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