Tag: USAID

South Africa, Zimbabwe and Congo among countries already witnessing disruptions in HIV care, says MSF

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  The decision by the US government to temporarily freeze funding to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) alongside all other foreign aid for at least 90 days has had immediate effects on people living with HIV (PLHIV), said Doctors Without Borders (MSF) grams can continue at least until April, we are concerned that critical elements of the PEPFAR program remain frozen. More than three weeks since the US government froze PEPFAR funding, there is still widespread confusion and uncertainty as to whether this critical lifeline…

Read More

Ebola Breaks Out in Uganda as US Halts Foreign Aid

GLOBAL PRESS ARTICLES

By Nakisanze Segawa, GPJ Uganda KAMPALA, UGANDA — One nurse died from the Sudan Ebola virus in Uganda on Jan. 29. Two more cases were confirmed days later — and hundreds of people were direct contacts. The virus spreads fast, and it’s deadly: The Sudan strain’s fatality rate ranged from 40% to 100% in past outbreaks, and there are no approved vaccines. Now, the United States Agency for International Development, a key partner in treating Ebola and slowing its spread, has stopped all funding for global health and all of…

Read More

Zimbabwe Considers Cost Recovery Strategy For Family Planning Products

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Amid growing donor fatigue and declining international support, Zimbabwe is pursuing a cost recovery framework for contraceptive commodities to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of reproductive health services. Spearheaded by the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and other partners, this initiative aims to maintain progress in reproductive health despite diminishing external funding. Like many nations dependent on donor contributions, Zimbabwe is seeking strategies to sustain its family planning programs. The proposed cost recovery framework intends…

Read More

Curtain comes down on Kunda/Nqobi TB program

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Kunda/Nqobi TB (KNTB) program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) comes to a close at a time beneficiaries are still drooling for more having screened over 1 million Zimbabweans since 2019. The USAID injected US$15 million for this project implemented by The Union Zimbabwe Trust (UZT) in partnership with Baines Occupational Health Services, Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Zimbabwe and Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation (JHWO). Addressing the close out ceremony in Harare, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora in…

Read More

Zimbabwe’s Mhuri/Imuli II and SHASHA Projects Get US$25 Million Jab

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Rusape The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched two projects with a combined value of US$25 Million in a bid to improve the lives of mothers, babies, and young women in Zimbabwe. The two projects, Mhuri Imuli II and the Sexual Health Services program (SHASHA) programs will be implemented over the next five years. The Mhuri/Imuli II is set to expand its geographic coverage and strengthen health services for mothers and babies to five provinces namely Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland South, and Mashonaland…

Read More

CATALYST Study To Inform National Scale-Up Of PrEP Products in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Following the approval for the use of three Pre-Exposure Prophylaxes (PrEP) products for HIV prevention by the Zimbabwean government,  the country is conducting a three-year study to evaluate and inform the national HIV response’s rollout of PrEP products. The study named CATALYST, which stands for Catalyzing Access to New Prevention Product to Stop HIV is a multi-country study that will characterise and assess the implementation of an enhanced service delivery package providing informed choice of PrEP products among women at the sites where the study is being…

Read More

USAID provides support to vulnerable and disaster-prone communities in Zimbabwe.

Kuda Pembere

HARARE– The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing US$1,097,540 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for a 14-month project to build resilience for migrant returnees and their households through income-generating activities. IOM has identified Mwenezi, Zaka, Nkayi, Matobo, and Umzingwane districts as particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, hyperinflation, and poverty. Households in these communities struggle to raise adequate income to meet essential needs and are often fully dependent on remittances during certain periods of the year. IOM’s surveys have shown that in these areas,…

Read More

USAID Extends US$2 Million To WFP To Address Urban Food Insecurity

Healthtimes

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a US$2 million contribution from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support more than 2,000 vulnerable families in three urban areas over the next year. By Staff Reporter Under the initiative, WFP and partners will create community assets and develop vulnerable families’ skills to boost livelihood opportunities. Communities will benefit from communal assets such as greenhouses and income-generation activities.  As part of the activities, WFP will provide internal savings and lending (ISAL) training to boost financial literacy among…

Read More

Decolonising HIV Research through the MATRIX

Michael Gwarisa

FOUR decades ago, the HIV virus was discovered and since then, millions of lives have been lost as a result. With no cure in sight as yet, a number of innovations have been developed to either prevent and or reduce chances of getting infected with the HIV virus. By Michael Gwarisa This has seen cases of new HIV infections and deaths reducing and now more than ever, People Living with HIV (PLHIV) live long and fulfilling lives just like anyone else. The number of children being born with HIV has…

Read More

Incapacitated DR-TB Patients Bear The Brunt of Catastrophic Costs

Michael Gwarisa

Nqobizitha Nkomo and his wife from Insiza District in Matebeleland South, were both diagnosed of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) about a year ago. Even though they say they are feeling better,  Nkomo recounts how their situation almost reduced them to beggars of some sort in their quest to sustain their treatment and recovery journey. By Michael Gwarisa Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is a form of tuberculosis which has developed resistance to the main medicines used to treat TB. This form of TB can be resistant to one or more anti-TB medicines.…

Read More