A South African peer educator working to reconnect with patients of an LGBTQI+ outreach program after the U.S. aid cuts said: “We are just working on frustration now, and of trying to get hold of someone when it’s come to the point that we’re about to close their file. After that, they’re just left out there in the community spreading HIV. They will get sick, and they will have terminal AIDS after that. And then, what was the whole point?”
Date: 2/26
Region: Africa
Country: South Africa
Topic: Health, Gender Equality & Inclusion
Policy Lens: Global Health Security
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: This quote is attributed to Lungani Sithole who has been a peer educator at the South African HIV clinic OUT LGBT Well-Being since 2019. OUT is one of South Africa's oldest queer-friendly clinics, and one that’s specifically focused on men who have sex with men. Last January, the United States’ cuts to foreign aid forced OUT to shutter its services for 10,000 clients — and over the last year, some of South Africa’s most at-risk HIV patients were left in the dark.
Of the nine staff members remaining at the clinic, most have been focused on routing former patients into alternative care. But with nonprofit services strained and shuttered, that’s meant more people have been pushed to government facilities — settings that often lack the training, sensitivity, or ability to serve OUT’s target population.
Source: Devex