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With the shift in US policy, and the termination of PEPFAR/USAID programs, especially for children, what concerns you most, and how do you see it impacting your community?
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27 Replies
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The freeze will disrupt HIV programming support, particularly for children, who have already been left behind. It will further limit access to essential health commodities and services, increasing vulnerability for affected children and their families. This disruption will also lead to more deaths among children living with HIV. Additionally, service delivery will be further weakened as facility support staff are unable to continue their work, leaving government workers, who are already understaffed, to manage the burden alone.
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Thank you for sharing Zambia’s experience with us. Please keep us posted with future developments.
Country: South Africa
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The funding freeze and cancellation of HIV support programs, especially for children, raise serious concerns about increased child mortality, treatment interruptions, and higher rates of HIV transmission. Without consistent access to antiretroviral therapy, prevention programs, and psychosocial support, vulnerable children and families will face severe health risks, stigma, and economic strain. This could reverse years of progress in the HIV response, particularly in reducing mother-to-child transmission and supporting orphans. To prevent this crisis, urgent advocacy, community-led initiatives, and alternative funding strategies must be prioritized to ensure no child is left without life-saving care.<div>
</div>Country: Zambia
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You have shared very important and key points John.
Country: Zambia
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The funding freeze and cancellation of HIV support programs threatens t adolescent and youth HIV care in Zimbabwe. Because of the programs that have been closed and organizations that have been affected It risks treatment interruptions, increased new infections reduced HIV testing, and loss of mental health and peer support services. Without funding sustaining the youth friendly HIV services will be challenging.. Urgent advocacy and community led solutions is what we need to sustain engagement and care for young people.
Country: Zimbabwe
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I totally agree with you. Advocacy should be there and also have a discussion around having sustainable systems that will still support people living with HIV
Country: Kenya
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The freeze will not only affect the community smooth access to treatment but also it will affect the mental state for people living with HIV giving them anxiety of the future.
It will cause big loss impact to the facilities because if health care provider are not within the facility then there is no one who will do the follow up.
Finally we are not sure about supply of medication if the freeze continue infact this is the major concern for many
Country: Kenya
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Christopher thank you for sharing. Your experiences resonate with Zambia and Mozambique. Please keep us updated on future developments.
Country: South Africa
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Welcome, and well noted. Will keep you posted
Country: Kenya
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I believe the major aim is to eliminate HIV transmission. If there is any group more vulnerable, it’s the children! Asides the continuous support for ARVs, children need intensive follow up and monitoring. They need specific interventions to ensure they adhere to treatment and stay alive some of which are provided by the OVC teams. Children need nutritional support, home visits and monitoring, educational support and psychosocial support as well. HIV program can not be holistically implemented without support for the children in other aspects of their lives.
Country: Nigeria
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The freezing has already caused a serious depression to our clients, especially children and adolescents who were being supported by OVC – USAID, in terms of medications, socio-economic, Schooling of these children. It is indeed a sad state, even in monitoring there treatments, i.e the Unsuppressed children,
Country: Kenya
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<font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;” class=””>Quanto ao congelamento dos fundos da USAID PEPFAR e o cancelamento de financiamento aos programas de HIV para crianças no meu país Moçambique está tendo um impacto extremamente negativo, principalmente para crianças e adolescentes que eram seguidos pelos ativistas da Gestão de Casos, AP3, abordagens essas especificas a apoiar crianças de 0 a 17 anos vivendo com o HIV e também 0 a 24 meses crianças expostas ao HIV assitidas no CCR. O programa OVC nas suas abordagens GC e AP3, ajudvam muito na adesão, retenção e supressão viral, através da criação de demandas aos serviços cuidados e tratamentos TARV, com o corte dos fundos a demanda reduziu significativamente, pq a cobertura do OVC era extensa e de qualidade. Essa situação de corte de financiamento ao OVC não so trás um impacto negativo a saúde de crianças e adolescentes vivendo com HIV, também afeta psicologiccamente a família as comunidades o sector de saúde e todos os intervenientes no geral, o apoio social que as crianças de 7 anos e adolescentes indo a escola foi cortado, esse ano possivelmente a criança que não poderam ir a escola porque não tem como pagar a matrícula e comprar material escolar, despesas que o programa OVC cobria. Infelizmente a vida de muitas crianças e famílias ficou transtornada em Moçambique em particular no distrito de Milange, um dos 17 distritos apoiados pelo OVC.</font></font>
Country: Moçambique
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<font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;” class=””>O congelamento e o cancelamento deste financiamento tem um impacto devastador na minha comunidade principalmente nas crianças e adolescentes órfãos que eram apoiadas pelos actores comunitários, como padrinhos e madrinhas porque estes tendes a abandonar ttt* devido a falta de acompanhamento por parte destes. Há riscos de aumento de CVs e a descontinuidade do tratamento por falta de alguns medicamentos como o ABC e outros insumos relacionados com o tarv, o cenário é muito assustador( haverá reinfecçoes, abandonos e muitas mortes) se o governo não prover serviços mínimos básicos como oferta de Arvs.</font></font>
Country: Moçambique
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The recent suspension of U.S. foreign aid, particularly affecting the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), raises significant concerns for Nigeria, especially for children reliant on HIV support programs.
Primary Concerns:
Treatment Disruptions: PEPFAR supports approximately 90% of Nigeria’s HIV treatment programs.
A funding halt could disrupt antiretroviral therapy (ART) for millions, leading to increased illness and mortality. Children living with HIV are particularly vulnerable to treatment interruptions, which can result in rapid health deterioration.
Increased Pediatric Infections: The suspension may hinder programs aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Without adequate support, Nigeria could see a rise in new pediatric HIV cases, reversing progress made over the years.
Healthcare System Strain: The sudden funding gap threatens to overwhelm Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure, which relies heavily on international aid for HIV services. This strain could lead to shortages of essential medications and reduced access to care for those in need.
Community Impact:
Increased Mortality: Disruptions in treatment can lead to higher death rates among children with HIV, affecting families and communities deeply.
Economic Burden: Families may face increased medical expenses and loss of income due to illness, exacerbating poverty levels.
Social Stigma: A resurgence in HIV cases could reinforce stigma and discrimination against affected individuals, hindering community cohesion and support systems.
Country: Nigeria
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Hello how are you. Thank you for sharing but I see you are talking in future tense are there any current effect from the freeze in Nigeria and how are you guys coping up with it.
Country: Kenya
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Thank you very much for this important discussion,I think that drugs should be always there and ministry of health to use emergency funds before getting a wayforward for the future plans.
Country: Kenya
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Very true there must be a backup plan
Country: Kenya
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The most worrying thing is the increase in children without access to treatment, children developing opportunistic infections, increasing the burden on families that are mostly in poverty and culminating in an increase in child mortality. On the other hand, we will have a high number of undiagnosed positive children without access to care and treatments, which will also have a devastating outcome.
Country: Mozambique
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It’s so unfortunate but this now brings countries to think towards self-sustainability to cub this gap left by the freeze of funds
Country: Kenya
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<font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;” class=””>O congelamento financeiro dos projetos USUAID e PEPFAR no meu país tem um impacto extremamente negativo, isto é, contribui exclusivamente para o surgimento de novas informações por HIV em crianças e adolescentes uma vez que o acesso aos cuidados e tratamentos, bem como aos cuidados de prevenção torna se limitado devido a dependência que o país tem. </font></font>
<font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;” class=””><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;” class=””>Contudo, a que evidar esforços para continuar a abdicar e combater novas infeções, bem como garantir o diagnóstico e cuidados e tratamento as crianças e adolescentes infectadas bem como os seus cuidadores</font></font></font></font>
Country: Moçambique
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“Our future is at risk. As a young person living with HIV, I’m horrified by the termination of PEPFAR/USAID programs, which will rip away life-saving treatment from my community. Children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and key populations will be disproportionately affected, facing increased illness and death. I won’t stand by and watch progress unravel. I’ll fight for our rights, holding leaders accountable to prioritize our health and well-being. The future of my community depends on it.”
Country: Zimbabwe
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The suspension of the USIAD program in Taraba state, Nigeria certainly brought a significant setback in the HIV fight, eg in less than than one week there was acute shortage Test kit and life saving drugs, lot’s of samples from HEI that could not be sent from health facilities to the molecular labs for EID, All viral load samples could not be transported to the lab all because HIV adhoc staff like case managers and mentor mothers were ordered to stop work. In taraba, the state AIDs program was able to source for RDT that lasted only one week. Other IPs particularly PATA , Elizabeth glacier paediatric aids foundations (EGPAF) under tha society for family health (SFH) swung in to action and provided funds for samples to be logged in and were transported to the lab within 2 days. I would say we are lucky that these support came in timely. A gab has been created in terms of data and record lost,
The announcement of the USIAD program storage Itself was traumatising as it created fear and anxiety in our children and adolescent and so governments and IPs should pay some more attention to mental health among children and adolescent living with HIV now!.
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Videos related to the impact of the US funding cuts | UNAIDS
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Videos related to the impact of the US funding cuts | UNAIDS
Videos related to the impact of the US funding cuts | UNAIDS
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