In a move that could only be described as a desperate plea for relevance, the World Health Organization (WHO) has resorted to begging for donations on social media after President Donald Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the global health body. The decision, which came just hours into Trump’s second term, has left the WHO scrambling to fill a $706 million funding gap—a staggering 18% of its total revenue for the 2024-2025 budget cycle.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday to ask the world for help. “Consider a donation to @WHO via the @WHOFoundation – One Dollar, One World #ProudToBeWHO,” she wrote, linking to a fundraiser with a lofty 1 billion goal. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised a paltry 23,000—enough to fund a small-town bake sale but hardly a dent in the organization’s financial woes.
Hellbound and Down 