The El Salvador government has jailed more than 85,000 people in the past three years. Consequently, tens of thousands of children have lost one or both parents, and government officials are still trying to identify every child.
Whole Child International was working to improve El Salvador's child protection system, but after the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] dismantled USAID, the nonprofit organization lost its contract with the federal government, forcing it to lay off about 80 percent of its staff, and hobbling its efforts.
Post and Courier reporter Mitchell Black traveled to El Salvador as the organization's CEO shut down its office, coordinated with government agencies, and thanked her now-mostly-jobless staff.
This reporting project focuses on the consequences of cutting this child protection effort short and challenges the narrative American officials have pushed regarding USAID, particularly for a program with an underlying goal of deterring migrants from fleeing their country for the United States.
