Season 14 • Episode 1134

In the Aftermath of Foreign Aid Cuts, Retreats and Resilience in Family Planning

Episode Description

About this episode:

Since the dismantling of USAID in early 2025, reproductive health clinics in Asia and Africa are reporting slower uptake of critical family planning services targeted at urban poor. Yet some locations remain resilient in face of massive funding gaps, thanks to investments in and from local governments. In this episode: A new report from The Challenge Initiative, directed by the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, provides insights on the global state of family planning and how these findings can inform broader models of development.

Guest:

Kojo Lokko, MPH, MBA, is the executive director and principal investigator of The Challenge Initiative at the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

J.M. Ian Salas, PhD, MA, is an assistant scientist in the department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health and senior technical advisor for the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Holding the Line: The first report using frontline data on women's health a year and a half after global funding cuts—The Challenge Initiative
Family Planning Gains Drop by Half Across 214 Cities in Africa and Asia Since the U.S. Withdrew Global Health Aid, New Data Show—The Challenge Initiative
"Taxpayer Money Went to Buy Food to Feed People… Now It's Being Burned"—Public Health On Call (September 2025)
How An Advocate is Thinking About Family Planning—Public Health On Call (April 2025)
A Global Snapshot of Family Planning and Reproductive Freedom—Public Health On Call (November 2022)

Transcript information:

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