When the United States, the World Health Organization’s largest donor, announced its decision to withdraw, one WHO employee started an online fundraiser to fill the financial gap—and she has already raised over $100,000.
Tania Cernuschi, 46, told AFP that the idea came to her right after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20 to pull the US out of the WHO, one of his first actions upon returning to office.
The WHO’s funding shortfall is expected to increase further after Argentina also announced on Wednesday that it would leave the UN health agency.
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Cernuschi aims to raise $1 billion to replace US contributions, which amounted to $1.3 billion, or 16% of the WHO’s 2022-2023 budget.
“I was disturbed by the news,” said Cernuschi, an Italian development economist with 10 years at the WHO.
“I woke up one morning, thought about the campaign, and decided to move forward. No one stopped me.”
She launched the “One Dollar, One World” fundraising campaign on the WHO Foundation’s website—the part of the UN agency that links private funds to impactful health projects.
“I’m asking for one dollar from a billion people, for a total of $1 billion, but people can contribute more,” she explained, adding that all donations go directly to the foundation.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 3,000 donors from around the world had contributed, raising around $104,000. She noted that 20 donors had given more than $500 each, and a $20,000 donation was expected soon.
Launched in 2020, the WHO Foundation aims to raise private funds for the WHO, similar to other UN agencies.
“Individual donations are critical for many international organizations,” said WHO Foundation CEO Anil Soni. “For example, UNICEF raises over a billion dollars annually, and UNHCR raises $500 million per year.”
Since 2021, the WHO Foundation has raised $6 million from individuals and $26 million from companies, including a $5 million donation from Meta, the US social media company.
Cernuschi initially thought her initiative might only raise $200 and considered it more an act of solidarity than a formal fundraising effort.
“I’ve dedicated my life to working within the UN system and NGOs, and I believe in what I do,” said Cernuschi, who previously worked with UNICEF and the Gavi vaccine alliance.
While she acknowledged that individuals and businesses shouldn’t bear the WHO’s funding burden, she stressed that the organization needs to better communicate its work, especially to people in developed countries.
“There’s a misconception that we only help poor nations—which we do—but our work also benefits citizens in wealthier countries,” she explained, highlighting that most vaccines and medicines are produced in richer states.
She also expressed frustration with UN bureaucracy.
“We all need to be more agile, flexible, impactful, and efficient,” Cernuschi said.
But she emphasized that the WHO saves thousands of lives every day in 194 countries, operating with a budget “smaller than that of a major city hospital.”
“I call that efficient,” she added.
