Victoria Grandmothers for Africa (VG4A), a Canadian charity dedicated to supporting HIV and AIDS programs in Africa, is gobsmacked by the Trump administration’s sudden freeze on U.S. foreign aid. The freeze has prevented the distribution of life-saving anti-retroviral medication for HIV and AIDS.
They’ve abandoned Africa: Victoria Grandmothers for Africa says
“It’s so infuriating and unnecessary; it’s like they’ve abandoned Africa. It’s wicked that they could even do that,” added Gillian Scadeng. “It’s the most heartless decision,” said Julie Holder.
Those were the first words from the two coordinators of Victoria Grandmothers for Africa (VG4A) after the Trump administration’s Jan. 24 freeze on U.S. foreign aid. The two women explained that the stop order has prevented programs from distributing life-saving anti-retroviral medication to affected populations.
Victoria Grandmothers for Africa raises funds and awareness for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign; they’re proud to have raised over $2 million since 2006. Through the Grandmothers Campaign, they partner with community-led organizations in Africa where grandmothers care for grandchildren whose parents died as a result of the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
With their Friends of AIDS Support Trust (FAST), they have given hope to the hopeless since 1996. FAST has worked in the Nsanje district of Malawi for nearly 30 years.
The scope of their work is ever-evolving, but the heart of it never changes. They build meaningful, long-term relationships within their community to accompany people through their challenges and triumphs; just like VG4A, FAST is a support system for grandmothers who are primary caregivers for their families.
This role significantly affects their economic stability, health and social connections. Caring for caregivers involves practical support like nutritional supplements, food parcels, medical check-ups and anti-retroviral treatment for family members living with HIV, as well as social and emotional support.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) reports that clinics and hospitals have been told they cannot dispense the antiretrovirals already in stock if purchased with U.S. funds. The Victoria-based charity, which supports community-led organizations in Africa through the SLF, said the situation is dire.
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A deadly setback for HIV and AIDS treatment
“Even if centers had medications that have been bought with U.S. funds, they were not allowed to be distributed even though the medication was there, which is life-saving; people depend on funding from USAID and other organizations. If they don’t get that medication, not only are they going to get sick and possibly die, but the transmission rate will go way up, and we’ll be back in the 1980s,” said Holder.
This could also ring the death bell for many of the education and advocacy programs for women that VG4A supports. According to Holder, the repercussions of this decision could be calamitous.
Holder said that the projects they support also receive funding from USAID, so their programs will be in jeopardy if that funding is cut. She further emphasized that the Steven Lewis Foundation is still waiting to see what transpires because saying who knows what’s going on or the next step.
Similarly, the U.S. government has stopped support for HIV treatment in Nigeria and other developing countries as a result of President Donald Trump’s order. The U.S. State Department stopped the allocation of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program for the treatment of HIV in Africa and developing countries, for 90 days.
This resulted from President Trump’s executive order on foreign aid, signed on his first day in office. Under this order, all government agencies managing foreign development assistance programs were instructed to stop allocating funds.
Politician, diplomat, and SLF chair Stephen Lewis echoed similar sentiments and concerns. He said that the SLF is facing the greatest crisis since the nightmare days of the spread of AIDS in the 1990s and 2000s, and with the suspension and cutbacks of foreign aid, the Trump administration’s unhinged and random destructive acts put countless numbers of their projects in Africa, and the people they serve, at risk.
Having raised over $2 million since VG4A’s inception in 2006 and dedicating significant effort to fundraising, Gillian Scadeng and Julie Holder felt that these achievements now felt somewhat futile. The duo said it’s frustrating when they think they’ve been raising all this money and doing such good work there, and there have been so many benefits, and then suddenly, someone comes and pulls the rug out from under everything, all over the world.
Victoria charity sent an emergency $2,700 donation to help address the ongoing crisis after contributing more than $218,000 last year.
How to help
Holder, who witnessed the HIV and AIDS epidemic firsthand while working across Africa, can’t shake the feeling of the impact these decisions will have on the continent. She said the SLF is trying to determine where its funds can best be used and how to raise more; she revealed it was still scrambling to understand this and is waiting to hear from its African partners.
Donations can be made through Victoria Grandmothers for Africa at www.vg4a.ca. Every contribution can help ensure that patients continue to receive the treatment they desperately need.