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FEATURE: End of US aid threatens women and girls' lives in Africa

FEATURE: End of US aid threatens women and girls' lives in Africa

Trump's aid cuts to Africa will have a huge impact

UNFPA: Millions of women and girls affected

Fears of unsafe abortions and higher maternal mortality rates

Farai Shawn Mattiashe

The 35-year old mother who relies on the free services for family planning was not lucky when she visited the Chitakatira clinic in eastern Zimbabwe.

The nurses at the public hospital, located outside of the city of Mutare, and supported by charities such as Population Services Zimbabwe, stated that they were out of stock on the day.

"I can't have any more children." "I am struggling to feed my four children," said the mother who is unemployed.

Mucheri is one of millions of women around the world who depend on free contraceptives provided by aid programmes. These programmes have been in turmoil ever since Donald Trump gutted U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a major global donor.

Lydia Zigomo said that the cuts will have "severe" consequences for hundreds of thousands of people in East and Southern Africa who lose access to contraception.

Zigomo, in an email, said that many countries will run out of life-saving maternal medicine and contraceptives within the next 3 to 6 months.

Zigomo stated that the withdrawal of funds would have disastrous consequences for countries such as South Sudan, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), and Madagascar, which already have high rates of maternal mortality.

She said that the immediate loss of U.S. funding for UNFPA was about $4 million in DRC and South Sudan, as well as Ethiopia. Many local health providers also lost U.S. funds.

The entire ecosystem of improving sexual, reproductive and maternal health, as well as child, adolescent, and neonatal health, has been compromised by the U.S. Freeze.

She said that violence against women, maternal deaths and unplanned pregnancy would increase. Menstrual hygiene, pregnancy care and other aspects of women's health would also suffer.

In the long term, we will see an increase in sexually transmitted diseases and unsafe abortions. As families become poorer, child marriages and teen pregnancys could also increase.

Zigomo warned that there would be significant disruptions to the supply chain of reproductive health and contraceptive medicines.

UNSAFE PREGNANCIES

Pester Siraha is the country director of Population Services Zimbabwe (an affiliate of MSI Reproductive Choices), and she said that USAID's cuts are a violation of women's human rights.

She said, "This is a brutal decision."

The sudden suspension caused chaos and uncertainty. It is unethical to stop services suddenly without warning.

USAID will provide up to $360m in 2024 for health and agricultural programmes in Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe has been underfunding healthcare for many decades.

The health budget is falling far short of the targets set by the Abuja Declaration of 2001, wherein the African Union countries committed to spending at least 15% on health services.

Sleiman Kiwidini, Zimbabwe's deputy minister of health, said that the government purchased its own family planning products through the National Pharmaceutical Company (a government agency) with funds from donors.

Siraha stated that more than half the funding for sexual health and reproductive services in Zimbabwe comes from USAID. Therefore, any cuts will inevitably increase unplanned pregnancy.

"(This) leads to unsafe abortions, and maternal mortality." "Teenage pregnancy leads to school dropouts, and increases the number of teens dying during birth," she said.

In January, Trump recommitted himself to two anti-abortion international pacts and cut all U.S. funds for family planning that go to foreign organisations who provide or promote abortions.

JOBS LOST

According to those who were affected, the fallout of Trump's executive order has already rippled through Zimbabwe. Thousands of health workers received a WhatsApp message in late January telling them to leave their work place after Trump took office.

A 29-year old single mother, who didn't want to reveal her name out of fear of reprisals said that on the evening of January 28, she was instructed not to go to work the next day at an USAID-funded non-profit organization providing sexual health services for young girls in Gokwe in Midlands Province.

"I signed up for unpaid leave." She said, "I use my last salary and savings to pay for all family expenses and maintain the household."

I am looking for ways to earn money. "I am trying to make money by buying and selling food and clothes, but I'm not getting much out of it."

Ekenia Chifamba, the director of Shamwari Yemwanasikana - a community organisation that promotes the rights of girls - said these cuts were "unbearable", as they affected entire families.

She said, "It's quite disturbing and devastating."

Zigomo stated that UNFPA is seeking alternative funding. This could be through engaging with national government, asking for more from other donors, or leveraging the private sector.

The government is also working to mobilize the civil society to demand local funding and solutions.

She said that despite these efforts it is unlikely that the majority of (east and south African) countries would mobilise resources in the near future to fill the gaps.

(source: Reuters)