Decreasing development aid to Afghanistan threatening NGO work in health, other areas

Decreasing foreign aid to Afghanistan, a "main point of discussion at an Afghan aid conference in Tokyo on Sunday," is hurting many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country, forcing them to reduce services or shut down, Reuters reports in an article examining development funding "more than a decade after the Taliban were driven from power by U.S.-led forces." The news agency notes, "Aid groups warn that fragile gains, such as education for girls -- banned by the Taliban -- and halving child mortality rates in 10 years, are at grave risk of being lost if financial support dries up." According to Reuters, "Just under $4 billion is expected to be committed in development aid for the next year," but "[t]hat amount is sharply down from its peak in 2010, when over $6 billion in development aid was pledged, more than half from the United States" (Arghandiwal, 7/5).