Workers with CFK Africa, an international nonprofit organisation empowering youth in informal settlements across Kenya through public health and youth leadership programmes, have reported severe impacts on the communities they serve following the abrupt withdrawal of support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
After the federal government froze USAID spending in January, tens of thousands of Kenyans received notification that they would be laid off as a result of the end of US grants, disrupting long-standing efforts to stop the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.
“Some patients are now coming into our healthcare clinics asking us if they are going to die,” CFK Africa programme lead for clinical services Eddah Ogogo said. “They are asking for longer refills for prescription drugs and making plans for what might happen if they cannot continue to get care.”
With cuts to USAID-funded projects, the nonprofit is facing uncertainty around its critical care clinic for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, staff are unclear what to share with patients, and access to data has become limited.
In addition, CFK Africa’s clinics are experiencing an influx of patients and requests from community members who previously received care from organizations that were grant recipients of USAID and now have nowhere to turn.
Officials with CFK Africa noted that the sudden drop in funding has upended Kenya’s health care system, which was supported directly and indirectly through USAID in several ways. This is leading to new discussions about how the Kenyan government and other NGOs should respond to ensure life-saving care continues.
“There is a lot of misunderstanding on what aid or development work is. To me, it restores dignity, brings out the best in humanity, and lessens suffering, and I think that is missed from a lot of the current news stories on the pullback of aid,” said CFK Africa executive director Jeffrey Okoro.
“We don’t know what will happen next, but we are turning to our partners, reassuring our patients, and staying focused on our mission. At CFK Africa, our communities come first.”
