As people of faith, we believe that solidarity, human dignity, and a preferential option for the poor are essential ways of living out our faith. On President Trump’s first day in office, he placed a 90-day freeze on all foreign assistance. This freeze in lifesaving funding will cause needless suffering and loss of life, and goes against fundamental Christian values of charity, mercy, and love. In addition, several major Catholic and religious organizations that provide humanitarian assistance rely on this critical support to care including Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Services among many others.

One of IPJC’s founding congregations the Sisters of the Holy Names operates several community clinics in Lesotho and works directly with the communities who are most directly impacted by this decision. In Lesotho, around one in four adults is HIV positive and more than 230,000 people were receiving anti-retroviral treatment in 2021, according to the World Health Organization. Lesotho also has the second-highest incidence of TB in the world, estimated at 724 cases per 100,000 people. Funding from USAID is essential for these communities in Lesotho, but also in countries all around the world where marginalized communities are being deeply impacted by the loss of this funding for urgent food and medical services.

IPJC joins in solidarity with the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and other religious communities in demanding that congressionally authorized funding to U.S.A.I.D. be unfrozen and distributed as authorized by Congress!