Slate Money Money Talks: Altruism After USAID
Dec 23, 2025
Join Mary Childs, a host at Planet Money and an insightful journalist, as she delves into the aftermath of USAID funding cuts on humanitarian initiatives. Mary discusses how organizations like GiveWell and ALIMA are grappling with the urgent demand for aid. Discover the heart-wrenching decisions made by charities, the emotional cost of determining who gets saved, and how effective altruism struggles against the backdrop of limited resources. Learn why now may be the perfect time to maximize your philanthropic efforts.
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Infrastructure Enables Cost-Effective Aid
- USAID's sudden cuts removed crucial delivery infrastructure that makes cheap interventions effective.
- Mary Childs explains that buying supplies is useless if trucks, cold chains, and clinics disappear.
ALIMA's Frontline Maternal Care
- ALIMA runs mobile clinics and crucial maternal-newborn care in Cameroon's Far North, often the only provider in the area.
- Mary Childs recounts that patients often stop seeking care if clinics close once, so continuity there is life-saving.
Data Gaps In Humanitarian Contexts
- Conflict zones lack reliable patient follow-up and population counts, so typical program metrics fail.
- GiveWell avoids many humanitarian contexts because it cannot get the data needed to guarantee cost-effectiveness.