halts US foreign aid. ‘It will kill people’, claim NGOs, charities and

recipients of US aid. The new directive mat put some aid organizations

at risk of bankruptcy and has caused genuine panic among NGOs fighting

Russian aggression in Ukraine and Georgia. There are organization across

many areas of activity threatened, with funding ranging from a few

percent of total funds and income for staff right up to 90% of costs.

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We ran two events in Ukraine in the last two weeks. Lviv (part 2) and

Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a

great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two

events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed

in high definition for the channel.

https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras

But it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv,

and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are

higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available

venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make

this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to

film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will

have an impact, so please help if you can.

https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras

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The sudden announcement of the pause in US foreign aid came out of the

blue it seems for most NGOs and organizations. And panic quickly set in.

My Ukrainian colleague’s phone was buzzing continuously when the news

dropped with people in tears and trying to understand the evolving

situation. The pause in aid is causing chaos inside groups ranging from

health providers to landmine removers — interrupting lifesaving programs

as officials struggle to understand the scope, scale and impact of the

directive.

Many in the aid space said they couldn’t remember any such sudden halt

to funding in the past. They also didn’t understand why programs had to

be stopped so that the new administration could log and review them.

What we are seeing here are not conservative values at play, but a kind

of revolutionary nihilism towards good governance.

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SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISER

A project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of

Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to

Ukraine's front-line towns.

https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras

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NEWS SOURCES:

https://www.ft.com/content/e122fb95-ae23-4c82-80c8-c8904724131e

https://www.newsmax.com/us/trump-funding-healthcare/2025/01/29/id/1196988/

https://kyivindependent.com/trump-suspends-aid-to-ukraine-vital-ngos-dont-know-if-theyll-survive/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/ukraine-war-briefing-shock-as-trump-aid-freeze-hits-ukrainian-causes

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/27/chaos-confusion-trump-u-s-foreign-aid-00200771

https://www.euronews.com/2025/01/29/us-freeze-on-foreign-aid-funding-is-a-death-sentence-for-people-in-need-ngos-warn

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-freeze-us-aid-rings-alarm-bells-thailand-ukraine-2025-01-28/

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SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain

https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain

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TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:

Save Ukraine

https://www.saveukraineua.org/

Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas

https://superhumans.com/en/

UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in

Ukraine

https://unbroken.org.ua/

Come Back Alive

https://savelife.in.ua/en/

Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen

https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine

UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy

https://u24.gov.ua/

Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation

https://prytulafoundation.org

NGO “Herojam Slava”

https://heroiamslava.org/

kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and

Przemysl

https://kharpp.com/

NOR DOG Animal Rescue

https://www.nor-dog.org/home/

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