The impact of USAID cuts on Tushinde

Earlier this year, Elon Musk and the US Government made sweeping cuts to the United States overseas Aid programme (USAID) and stopped virtually all global programmes. Soon after, the UK government made further cuts to its overseas development work in order to fund an increase in arms spending.

Tushinde has never had funding from USAID. In the past we have been lucky enough to secure two grants from the UK government and were able to deliver two projects to strengthen our work in the field.

At the moment our work remains on track and without disruption but we are worried about our community. On our programme; 49 people, of which 10 are children, are reliant on ARV’s — the HIV medication, supplied by USAID. Kenya has relied on the US for its supply of drugs that stop people with the HIV virus progressing to life-limiting AIDS and this supply has stopped overnight. The clinics will be running out in the next week or so and the Kenyan Government is scrabbling to source the medicines at an affordable price and set up a nationwide supply and dispensing system.

It is a worrying time for the community and many of us are scared that we could go back to the dark days of sick, emaciated mothers trying to care for sick, emaciated children. It doesn’t bear thinking about. Even if we had the money (which we don’t), Tushinde cannot become an organisation that purchases and disperses ARVs. Instead, we are working closely with local clinics and health charities to make sure that our families have access to the meds, and looking into the possibility of paying clinics for their services if needed.