7/7 I hope that those in power come to their senses to reverse course on this tragic decision to close USAID -- and soon.

y6/6 As we abruptly depart these relationships (with our foreign-born staff, gov peers, CBO partners, et al), we leave a vacuum in leadership and goodwill that will put us at risk. Plus we worsen the lives of millions of people's lives.

5/ Because of those investments and the decades of work, we as Americans have benefitted from people around the world that regard the US with respect and gratitude, who have more agency and ability to improve their own futures, and who aspire to build democratic systems for themselves.

4/? Peers of mine worked -- until this weekend, at least -- to strengthen groups that advance democracy abroad, improve maternal and children health, build a free media, enable girls to get education, develop alternatives to energy generation that reduce climate change. And so much more.

3/? It was a joy and a challenge. USAID isn't perfect (nor was my little program), but I knew that the ends were noble. I never met a single 'evil' person at USAID. Just folks who wanted to uplift the quality of life of those who were born in countries without the power and privilege of the U.S.

2/?
Working at USAID was my first "real" job after grad school. I was put in charge of a program that fostered partnership exchanges between city managers in the US and their counterparts in developing countries to improve communities with better land use planning, waste management, and services.

I have been struggling with what to say on this. The fires will absolutely expose vulnerabilities for older adults that most seem not to want to acknowledge or address. They won’t be the focus of the top stories we will read about regarding the first, but are there nonetheless.
This is our future.