Open Letter to Donors and Governments in This Time of Crisis

Dear Donors and Governments,

This is the moment to make an important choice to either sustain a broken system or fund real, just and lasting change. The US humanitarian aid freeze, funding cuts, and unfolding attacks on rights and justice have made it clear that when political shifts control aid, it becomes a tool of power to maintain systems of oppression. 

So this is not just a crisis of resources - it is a crisis of power.

For too long, the humanitarian system has continuously prioritised politics over people, numbers over justice, and quick fixes over real solutions. Women’s rights organisations, feminist groups, and local responders - the very people who hold communities together in crisis - are systematically shut out, underfunded, and ignored. 

This cannot continue. 

We call on you to step up and act now. Fill the immediate gap - but more than that, join us to transform the system so that it works for its true purpose. Shift power, decision making, and resources to where they belong: in the hands of those most affected. Fund long-term, community-led solutions that break the cycle of dependency. End the stranglehold of controlled aid and directly fund feminist and grassroots organisations that are already leading the way. 

Many donors have already made commitments to supporting women-led and feminist humanitarian efforts, and now this is more critical than ever. A sustainable, unwavering, just humanitarian system can be achieved if, in response to aid cuts and exclusionary orders, these commitments are upheld, scaled up, and transformed in partnership with those on the frontlines.

This is not the time for performative gestures or empty commitments. It is the time for courage, for radical shifts in the way aid is structured and delivered. Governments and donors must recognise that a humanitarian system that sidelines feminist leadership and grassroots action is one that will continue to fail those it claims to serve. The choice before you is clear: uphold the status quo of exclusion and controlled aid, or take decisive action to fund justice-driven, community-led responses that not only meet urgent needs but also dismantle cycles of oppression and inequality.

Communities don’t need more short-term, reactive aid, but equitable long-term funding grounded in feminist leadership to heal and thrive. We demand a system that is just, sustainable, and led by those most affected by crises and injustice.

Step up. Fund it. Stand behind it. Now.

Signed by:

Crown The Woman

Community Empowerment for Peace and Development West Nile

Hawa Feminist Coalition

Women entrepreneurs & Environmental Links

Community Empowerment for Peace and Development

Kids Educational Engagement Project

Refugee Consortium of Kenya

Fòs Feminista

Women For Human Rights, single women group (WHR)

Shifting the Power Coalition

Community Healthcare Initiative

Women Empowerment Forum Liberia

Gender And Community Empowerment Initiative (GECOME)