What to know from AP's report about pregnant women and babies dying in Nepal amid USAID cuts

GAUR, Nepal (AP) — The United States’ decision to slash its foreign aid program has led to an increase in deaths of pregnant women and babies in Nepal, The Associated Press has found.The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development last year gutted maternal and child health programs worldwide. In Nepal, the funding cuts led to the closure of nutrition and reproductive outreach programs designed to save mothers’ and babies’ lives.The U.S. State Department says it still supports programs in Nepal aimed at improving maternal and child health. But health workers, government officials, aid workers and families in Nepal say the funding cuts have had a devastating and deadly impact on pregnant women and babies.Here’s what to know from AP’s report on the fallout of the funding cuts:

Maternal and child health programs decimatedThe decision by the Trump administration to dissolve USAID — once the world’s largest humanitarian donor — decimated nutrition programs for millions of pregnant women and children and left scores of birthing centers devoid of equipment, medicine and staff. The U.S. cuts, followed by foreign aid cuts from several other countries, forced 60 percent of women’s organizations to reduce their services, according to the World Health Organization.