This American Life 862: Some Things We Don't Do Anymore
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Jun 22, 2025 
Naven Salem, founder of Edesia, discusses the dire challenges of delivering nutritious food to malnourished children amidst bureaucratic disruptions from USAID's sudden freeze. Diane Wu shares harrowing stories from Eswatini, where a clinic’s survival hinges on U.S. funding, prompting reflections on their impact. David Kestenbaum explores USAID’s mixed legacy since 1961, analyzing its successes and failures. Together, they highlight urgent themes of aid dependency and the real human stakes when funding frameworks collapse.
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Naven's Peanut Paste Crisis
- Naven Salem founded a non-profit making life-saving peanut paste for malnourished children under a USAID contract.
- When USAID stopped paying suddenly, she had to halt production, putting thousands of children's lives at risk.
USAID’s Mixed Legacy
- USAID started in 1961 with goals of development and stopping communism.
- Economic reforms worked well in places like South Korea but often failed when used as a tool of geopolitical influence.
Shift to Humanitarian Aid
- After communism collapsed, USAID shifted focus to humanitarian aid and fighting disease.
- It invested heavily in health, spending billions on programs to address urgent needs globally.