logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
25m 21s

A First Hand View Of What Happens When A...

Global Dispatches
About this episode

Effectively and efficiently responding to humanitarian crises is one of the things the United Nations and its partners in the NGO community do best. Over the years, they have gotten very good at saving lives. This system is now under unprecedented strain due to the Trump administration's decision to freeze foreign aid and dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. These cuts are being felt across hundreds of NGOs. So, for today's episode, I wanted to dig deep into what these funding cuts mean for one long-standing humanitarian organization: the NGO Relief International.

I'm joined by Relief International's CEO, Craig Redmond, who explains the difficult choices his organization is making as it responds to massive funding cuts. He details how these cuts are impacting not only the people Relief International serves and the organization itself, but also the broader global humanitarian system—of which NGOs like Relief International are a key part.

Up next
Mar 16
The Iran War Ignites a Global Humanitarian Emergency
Earlier last last week, he United Nations reported that around 300,000 Lebanese had been displaced since Israel opened a new front in southern Lebanon amid this widening regional conflict. Yesterday, that figure surged to more than 800,000 people forced from their homes in just a ... Show More
29m 28s
Mar 12
How to Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change | Global Catastrophic Risks
Today's episode is produced in partnership with the Global Challenges Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of global catastrophic risks and strengthening global governance to address them. Global Challenges Foundation's 2026 Global Catastrophic Risks repor ... Show More
30m 18s
Mar 9
The War in Iran Comes to the UN | To Save Us From Hell
We cover a lot of ground in this week's episode of To Save Us From Hell! There are two new entrants to the race to succeed António Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General; Cindy McCain announced she is stepping down as head of the World Food Programme, meaning there will soon b ... Show More
24m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
What do US aid cuts mean for America's global influence?
Its funding pulled, and its staff sent home. The world's largest international humanitarian donor, USAID, is under assault. If the Trump administration doesn't restore the flow of aid who will fill the void? And what does it mean for global US influence? In this Episode:   Hardin ... Show More
24m 3s
Feb 2025
The U.S. Spent Billions Fighting AIDS. What Now?
At the beginning of his presidency, Donald Trump suspended most U.S. foreign aid, causing vast confusion and concern around the world. One affected program was PEPFAR, the bipartisan initiative that works to fight HIV/AIDS globally. WSJ’s Nicholas Bariyo from Uganda and Michael M ... Show More
20m 42s
May 2025
The difficulties of getting aid into Gaza
After cutting off the supply of aid to Gaza for more than two months, Israeli officials have allowed some trucks to enter. But despite over a hundred aid trucks carrying essential products like flour and baby food into Gaza, the United Nations says it’s only a “drop in the ocean” ... Show More
15 m
Jul 2025
An interview with UN relief chief Tom Fletcher | Rethinking Humanitarianism
"It's not just our finances that are under attack, but it's also our morale and our legitimacy." In a fresh season of the podcast, TNH CEO Tammam Aloudat, our new host, sits down with people who have something important to say about the future of aid. In this episode, he's joined ... Show More
33m 47s
Apr 2025
Démantèlement de l'USAID : impacts sur le système humanitaire mondial. Avec Olivier Routeau | Entretiens géopo
Alors que les États ont tendance à réduire leurs budgets consacrés à l’aide humanitaire mondiale, celle-ci subit de plein fouet l’investiture de Donald Trump. Quelques mois seulement après sa prise de poste, le président américain et son administration ont démantelé l’USAID (Agen ... Show More
25m 54s
Feb 2025
What’s at stake for Africa if Trump shuts down USAID?
One person living with HIV has described how these cut would change their life and said "please tell the American government that this is a death trap for us. If I don’t get my tablets next month and the following month, how much longer will I have to live?”USAID—the United State ... Show More
20m 6s
Mar 2025
Israel blocks aid to Gaza as it pushes new ceasefire terms
Israel has stopped humanitarian aid to Gaza as the first phase of the ceasefire deal expired this weekend. The Guardian's Julian Borger talks about why Israel has stopped that aid and ongoing negotiations with Hamas. Then, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the ... Show More
27m 31s
Oct 2023
Water aid for Gaza literally ‘a drop in the ocean’: UNICEF
The 40,000 litres of drinking water trucked into Gaza on Saturday represent ‘a drop in the ocean’, considering the immense needs following two weeks of conflict.That’s the assessment of Jeremy Hopkins, Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Egypt, speaking hours aft ... Show More
5m 9s