July 3, 2025
Hi there. My name is Mike Jobbins. I’m the head of Global Affairs here at Search for Common Ground.
Earlier this week, the Trump Administration dissolved USAID, a US agency that supported the on-the-ground work of local groups like Search for Common Ground. I’ve had the chance to see the work that USAID supported through Search and through others in many different conflict zones.
One story that really stuck with me demonstrates the good work that USAID enabled. It was 15 years ago in West Africa, in a country called Côte d’Ivoire. I was there working with our team as the war was ending.
During the political crisis that led to the conflict, our colleagues had mapped out eight towns where, if fighting were to break out, these were the eight places where we might expect serious killings. We went to USAID and they supported us to build trust and prevent violence between communities.
But they didn’t have enough money for all eight towns, so they gave us enough that we could stretch to six of the eight towns. Unfortunately, the seventh town was a place called Duekoué. It was a place where we didn’t have enough money to work. And unfortunately, when the war did come to Duekoué, the town erupted.
More than 800 people were killed in massacres between communities. Fifteen thousand people were crowded into shelters at the local Catholic church. Children were dying of cholera, the priests were asking for help that no one had. It was devastating. Then we traveled up the road to the next town.
I met with the local government chief. He said, “If you guys hadn’t been working in our town, everything that happened down in Duekoué would’ve happened here too. And if Search for Common Ground with USAID support had been in Duekoué, those massacres never would’ve happened.”
That always stuck with me. When I think about the impact that USAID can have, that a small amount of money invested in people on the ground can have—that support was a thin line between a massacre and relative stability. And so when researchers write that eliminating USAID will cost 14 million lives, it isn’t just about the food that won’t get distributed, or the diseases that won’t be prevented—it’s the killings, the cholera, the displacement, the death..
Some people might say that preventing those killings, the massacres, the deaths don’t matter to the American people. I don’t believe that. As an American, I’m proud that America did what it could, and I wish it could have done more. And I hope that Congress and President Trump, even at this late hour, decide to do more.
But even to someone who didn’t care, I’d point out something else. The country of Côte d’Ivoire produces 40% of the world’s chocolate. When the war was raging, the cost of cocoa spiked so much that American candy companies considered changing their recipes to use less chocolate in their chocolate bars.
So this summer, if you’re having M&Ms or roasting s’mores, please take a minute to think about the people of Côte d’Ivoire and the modest contribution that USAID and others made to provide that thin line between devastation and relative peace—and all the work that went into helping bring that war to an end and building a better life, not only for Ivorians, but for Americans, so we can all participate in a world that’s more healthy, safe, and just.
