By Ebi Kesiena
The United States government has significantly reduced its global aid efforts, slashing 83% of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes worldwide.
Following a six-week review, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the termination of approximately 5,200 USAID projects, affecting various initiatives. In Zimbabwe alone, $522 million in aid has been cut, including $388 million allocated to ongoing projects, all of which have now been discontinued.
These cuts apply exclusively to USAID-funded programmes and do not account for initiatives supported indirectly through organisations like the World Food Programme.
USAID has long played a crucial role in international aid, particularly in Zimbabwe’s health sector, supporting HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes.
One of the most affected initiatives is USAID’s HIV support, which previously funded projects worth over $90 million, providing financial, technical, and material assistance, including salaries for essential health workers.
The funding cut also brings an end to a $53.2 million programme aimed at reducing new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women. Additionally, $30.1 million designated for orphans and vulnerable children in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces, along with another $17.4 million for broader child support services, has been withdrawn.
The “Resilience Anchors” initiative, valued at $19 million and designed to help communities recover from natural disasters while promoting environmental conservation, has also been terminated.
Zimbabwe’s malaria programmes have been significantly impacted, with the $25.7 million Zimbabwe Assistance Programme in Malaria (ZAPIM) and $2.6 million allocated for malaria research both discontinued. Maternal, neonatal, and child health projects in five provinces, previously supported with $16.5 million in funding, have also been eliminated.
Efforts to combat tuberculosis have been severely affected, with $29 million previously allocated for prevention and treatment, including support for health workers, no longer available. Additionally, USAID has withdrawn $18.99 million for citizen participation in governance, $4.91 million for constitutional reform advocacy, and $12 million for youth-led governance campaigns. Programmes focused on human rights have also been impacted, with $5 million meant for supporting torture victims being cut.
Media and accountability programmes have also suffered losses, as $8 million for the “New Narratives for Accountability” initiative and $7 million for media organisations have been discontinued.
