My Mother's Flag

Today, I want to share an article with you by Eliza, an 11th-grader and the daughter of a former USAID foreign service officer.

My Mother’s Flag

By Eliza

In my early childhood, I, like most kids, didn’t really understand what it was my Mom did for work, and I never really cared to ask. As I grew older and more aware of the world around me, I started asking her more questions and trying to understand what she did. She would explain to me that her job helped children suffering from life-threatening disease in Ghana, empowered women’s financial independence in Jordan, and battled the HIV crisis in Tanzania. The more I understood, the more grateful I felt to have such an incredible role model. I was able to tell my friends at school that my Mom helped make the world better in the seven countries we’ve called home in my lifetime.

When I see the USAID flag, I think of my Mom. I think of the work she did for years to help suffering people around the world. To me, the USAID flag is a symbol of empathy, hope, and care. Amidst the many crises and horrible things going on in the world, my Mom showed me that there will always be hope, people who care, and those that want to help. I could see that for my Mom, international development wasn’t just a career, but a genuine passion.

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Yet, the dismantling of USAID added a new emotion I feel when I see the flag: fear. I recall the faces and stories of people that I saw USAID lift up; I can not help but feel an intense fear for the people associated with these stories. I think of the Iraqi and Syrian refugees I met while in Jordan, reliant on the support of NGOs and our government to shelter them from the wars waged back home. I think of the Ghanaian tribe leaders that held me when I was just a few months old, expressing their gratitude for USAID and the new well installed in their village. I think of the impoverished streets of New Delhi and the children that relied on USAID for clean, running water.

Despite over 95% of USAID workers losing their jobs, including my Mom, the community continues to persevere. They continue organizing, gathering, raising awareness, and stepping in to support those in need. So while the new fear associated with that flag is still undeniable, the USAID flag also represents sheer determination to better the world despite the incredible hardships and obstacles faced in recent years.

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While most programs have been defunded, there are many volunteers vying to fill the void that USAID left: to deliver life-saving vaccines, to ensure struggling farmers are able to avoid falling back into poverty despite sudden drought, to give young girls the chance at an education.

To me, the USAID flag has evolved from hope to fear to persistence; it proves that even in the darkest times, genuine goodwill show up time and time again.