Faith in action: JRS stands with refugees amid US aid cuts
By Linda Bordoni
"Withdrawing dignity from one group today can lead to the same happening to all of us tomorrow" is one of the considerations made by Br. Michael Schöpf, SJ. In an interview with Vatican Radio. The International Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) was commenting on the sudden and immediate cessation of US government foreign aid funding following the inauguration of the new presidency, and on how this decision highlights a dramatic shift away from multilateral cooperation, raising concerns about the erosion of a value-based world order.
Describing the US government's decision to suspend all foreign aid funding as a “very abrupt disruption”, Schöpf said it immediately affected projects for vulnerable people across nine countries including Chad, Ethiopia, Iraq, South Sudan. He explained that the projects, with a total annual budget of $18 million, supported more than 100,000 refugees, primarily in education, mental health, and emergency assistance.
"We received the letter from the U.S. government on January 24th, stating that all our projects were suspended effective immediately," Br. Schöpf revealed. "The suddenness of this decision left us with no opportunity to prepare or transition, which is extremely difficult to explain to the refugees we accompany."
Among the hardest-hit programs is the extensive education initiative in eastern Chad “a very volatile area”, where JRS provides schooling to over 10,000 students and employs 450 teachers.
“Basically, neither for the students nor for the teachers, there is money to continue that education program as from Monday, when you come back to school,” Schöpf noted.
Without funding, these students face an uncertain future. You can be certain, he said, that a huge number – if not all of them – will drop out of school, and this will put them at a much greater risk as they will have nothing to do all day and will become easy prey for traffickers.
The cut also affects mental health support for 500 students and community-based income-generating activities for families.
Thus, Schöpf added, “A typical effect of this new policy will be that without the possibility to rebuild lives, tensions will increase and peace is at danger between refugees and refugee communities, between different parts of the refugee communities. What we see at the moment is an incredible rise in the vulnerability of an incredible number of people.”
A wider humanitarian crisis looming
Beyond JRS, the funding freeze threatens the broader humanitarian aid network, including UNHCR and other partner organizations that rely on U.S. contributions. With the U.S. providing over 40% of total global development aid, the ramifications extend far beyond JRS alone.
"This is only the first wave," Br. Schöpf warned. "Once other organizations decide how they will respond to the funding freeze, a second wave of disruptions will follow. The entire network is suffering."
The consequences of these cuts are dire. Refugee children not only lose access to education but also, as mentioned, to the safety and stability that schools provide. Many also receive their meals at school, making the funding freeze an immediate “life-saving” humanitarian crisis.
This scenario also puts into discussion the very understanding of what “live-saving” means as, Br. Schöpf explained, project money is going to be examined by the new US administration that foresees certain waivers regarding what it calls “life-saving” activities.
“So what is life-saving? If you have something to drink and to eat, is that the end of life-saving?” he observes “because most probably you are not going to die. Or would you think that education and mental health services, which help you to reconstruct your life are also life-saving and necessary to survive? This is, I think in this moment, an important question under discussion.”
The end of multilateralism?
Another scenario that is increasingly to be considered regards the motivations and the capacity to halt aid, which Br. Schöpf warned, represents a shift away from multilateral cooperation, which has long been the foundation of global humanitarian efforts.
Such a move does not merely reduce funding—it signals a deeper transformation in the global order, he explained.
"If we say goodbye to multilateralism and a value-based world order, there is no replacement. This is a departure into a new world order, one where transactional relationships take precedence over human dignity," the JRS International Director cautioned.
Pope Francis has repeatedly warned against such shifts, Schöpf recalled. In a recent to U.S. bishops, he wrote, "Everything which is started with force that doesn’t recognize the truth of human dignity starts badly and will end badly."
A call for action
Whatever the reality, JRS remains committed to accompanying refugees and providing aid wherever possible.
"We are not just a service provider—we are an organization that walks with refugees," Br. Schöpf affirmed. "In times of crisis, we stand in unwavering solidarity with those forced to flee."
He reflected on how the new context puts JRS in a situation of fragility that refugees experience in a much-increased way.
“For us, it is important to accept this fragility together with them,” he said, noting that, it is actually the experience of Christmas.
“The story of Christmas tells us that God chooses deliberately to become human, to identify with them in the most precarious circumstances. I think this is what we are called to do as Jesuit Refugee Service,” he affirmed.
Emergency appeal
JRS has launched an emergency appeal to its donors, hoping to raise $1.5 to $2 million to bridge the immediate funding gap for the next two months. However, Br. Schöpf acknowledged that this is merely a temporary solution and cannot replace the structural support that multilateral cooperation once provided.
For those wondering how they can help, JRS encourages direct donations through their or continued support for other affected charities.
Beyond financial contributions - and most crucial - Br. Schöpf stressed, is the importance of advocating for the preservation of human dignity in global policies.
"This is the time to become active," he urged. "We must speak to those in political power and remind them that withdrawing dignity from one group today can lead to the same happening to all of us tomorrow."
Pope Francis’ leadership
How important is Pope Francis’s unwavering support and advocacy for the most vulnerable for an organization like JS?
Pope Francis is, in my view, a person who is profoundly grounded in spirituality. He's not a politician, but he is a realist. And when speaking about the gospel, when meditating on the example of the Good Samaritan, as he said in his letter to the American bishops, what you see applies to the world in which you live,” Br. Schöpf replied.
And it is very important that we recognize this and speak about it at this moment, he continued, because "Faith is not just about moral doctrine—it is about faith in action."
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
