Regional Voices: Women bear the brunt of dwindling aid.
Old Manal stirs the sugar into her tea, her hands calloused but steady. We sit in her small shop in Irbid, Jordan, the scent of spices thick in the air. Manal used to run a women’s centre, offering literacy classes and sewing skills to Syrian refugee women. Now, she sells dates and olives, but her eyes still hold a fierce determination. “Before,” she says, her voice low, “we gave them tools to rebuild their lives. Now…now they come here just to ask for a little credit, a little help to buy flour. The centre? It’s closed. No money.” Manal isn’t alone. Across the region, from refugee camps in Jordan to overwhelmed shelters in Lebanon, the stories are heartbreakingly similar.
A Region Holding Its Breath
The cuts to aid are felt not as abstract statistics, but as concrete losses. In Lebanon, where the economic crisis has already gutted social services, women are facing impossible choices – food or medicine, school fees or a safe place to sleep. In Syria, where years of war have already destroyed so much, women’s organisations are struggling to provide even basic services like maternal healthcare. The anger isn’t directed at any one nation, but at the seeming indifference of the international community. “Where is the support for us?” a young Palestinian woman in a Beirut shelter asked me last week, her voice trembling. “They talk about peace, about empowering women, but then they take away the very things we need to survive.” The prevailing sentiment is one of abandonment, of being a forgotten crisis in a world consumed by its own problems.
The Shadow of Geopolitics
This crisis isn’t happening in a vacuum. The reduction in aid is inextricably linked to shifting geopolitical priorities. While the details vary, the general trend is clear: as international focus shifts – and budgets are reallocated towards defence and other areas – vital funding for humanitarian programmes, and specifically for women-led initiatives, is drying up. Iran, while not directly involved in this specific funding cut, is often a point of contention in international relations, quietly impacting aid flows to surrounding countries. The narrative of countering Iranian influence sometimes overshadows the urgent needs of the people, including women, on the ground. The link between perceived security threats and diminished humanitarian assistance is a troubling one.
A Failure of Promises
This isn’t just about money. It’s about a failure to uphold promises made to women and girls, about a retreat from the principles of gender equality during times of crisis. These organisations weren’t luxuries; they were lifelines. Their closure means more women vulnerable to exploitation, more girls pulled out of education, and a further erosion of hard-won gains in women’s rights. The statistics are stark: a million women losing access to support, nearly 90% of organisations unable to meet the rising need, and a looming threat of closure for countless services.
A Glimmer of Resilience
Despite the bleakness, there’s a resilience that shines through. Manal continues to offer small loans and advice to women in her community, using her own meagre resources. Women are forming self-help groups, sharing what little they have, and supporting each other. It’s a testament to their strength and determination that, even when faced with insurmountable odds, they refuse to give up. These small acts of solidarity are a reminder that change is possible, and that even in the darkest of times, hope can endure.
Source: This piece is based on reporting informed by a UN Women report published by Al-Monitor on 10th July 2026, detailing a significant decline in aid access for women and girls globally. Real-life experiences were incorporated based on conversations with individuals in Jordan and Lebanon, conducted by the writer.
