"Rovina's Choice" Shows How The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands

Summary

The documentary argues that the Trump administration’s abrupt cuts to and dismantling of USAID have disrupted life-saving food and health programs, with immediate consequences for vulnerable people.

At Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which shelters about 300,000 people, World Food Programme food assistance was reduced to roughly one meal a day. The film shows a clinic struggling with reduced funding and staffing. It has only five doctors for the camp, and staff say they began seeing more severe cases of malnutrition after the food cuts.

The documentary follows Jane, a 15-month-old with severe malnutrition and organ complications. Her treatment depended on a fragile system of food, supplements, follow-up care, and adequate staffing. After staffing was reduced, her mother took her home while seeking food for her other children. The film presents this as an impossible choice made worse by the cuts.

The documentary notes that improved treatment had reduced the death rate for severely malnourished children in places like Kakuma from about 20 percent to under 1 percent. It warns that the system can quickly unravel when funding is withdrawn.

Former USAID global-health head Atul Gawande says the effects extend beyond food aid. He warns of future declines in vaccination and worsening control of HIV and tuberculosis. The administration has said aid is continuing, including that much HIV funding is moving; Gawande disputes that account. The film also cites medical researchers’ warnings that funding cuts could cause millions of additional deaths over the next five years.

Presenters and Contributors

• Atul Gawande
• Unnamed Kakuma clinic staff and caregivers
• Unnamed news presenters and reporters