NEPWU officials speak to the media in Juba. (Photo: Sebit Patrick).

The National Empowerment of Positive Women United (NEPWU), a non-profit organization working to empower people living with HIV in South Sudan, reveals that around 70,000 people have been directly affected by Donald Trump’s 90-day suspension of U.S. foreign aid.

After President Trump issued an executive order suspending all foreign aids from his country, while excepting American allies Egypt and Israel, the U.S. Department of State then sent ‘stop work’ orders to staff and contractors of USAID around the world.

Among key organizations affected by the temporary pause is the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been crucial in supporting vulnerable countries in fighting the pandemic.

Addressing a press conference on February 17, NEPWU Executive Director Mama Evelyn Letio said the PEPFAR program used to donate $1 million annually to the organization and accounted for 75% of the organization’s budget.

Ms. Letio revealed that within an estimated number of nearly 200,000 people living with HIV in South Sudan, nearly 70,000 rely on international assistance.

She said the suspension threatens to reverse years of momentum gained in fighting the pandemic.

“The abrupt halt in funding jeopardizes these essential services, threatens to reverse years of progress made in the fight against HIV epidemic, and potentially leading to disruption of access to life-saving medications,” she said.

The humanitarian official stated that the situation could lead to potential health crises for those dependent on continuous treatment.

Ms. Letio narrated that inconsistent use of antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs can result in drug resistance and therefore increase new HIV infections and transmissions, as well as Tuberculosis and other sexually transmitted infections.

“It also poses threats to prevention processes including awareness campaigns, condom distribution, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis to the key and vulnerable population, such as IDPs, refugees, and sex workers, among others.”

She fears that scaling back relief funding for combating HIV will likely result in higher rates of new infections in the country.

Ms. Letio further revealed that medical supplies for people living with the virus are generally provided by the global fund through the UN Development Agency UNDP.

However, she noted that Washington’s stop work order has severely affected community components which she said is responsible for counselling, the monitoring of viral load and the distribution of drugs.

“There are those who are supposed to be refilled after three months or after six months. But because of this freeze, the volunteers are not able to round them up to check who still has the drugs, who doesn’t have.”

“And we also have community-based HIV testing services, which has been interrupted. The index testing within a family, children that are born, we need to continuously keep testing the family who have accepted.”

“The viral load sample collection, every six months they have to take my blood to see; is the virus decreasing or increasing? We need to enhance adherence counseling to this person with the high viral load. Right now it is not taking place because of this stop work order.”

The head of NEPWU further revealed that about 2,800 children will miss school due to the freeze.

Ms. Letio said these are children who lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS, and the U.S. grant has been instrumental in helping to pay for their school fees.

However she said these children are likely to miss school this year due to the freeze.

On their part, some of the 83 employees of NEPWU who themselves live with HIV, also expressed concerns over the aid suspension.

Margret Jokudu, a 30-year-old mother of four children, working as a mentor mother at Juba Teaching Hospital, said the little incentive she used to earn helps provide for her family including paying school fees.

Ms. Jokudu is now afraid that the freeze is going to prevent them from sending their children to school.

“We are positive, but we are producing negative children, and they are living healthy, and we are caring for them. And the little money we are getting, the funding, it helps us to pay them to school,” she told Eye Radio.

“Some of us are widows. This money is like our husband, helping us to pay children at school, feeding them, everything, even renting. But now it is stopped. It means that our life is now very, very, very hard.”

Abala Victor, a 42-year-old, a father of two, has also lost his job. But he has a much bigger fear, that the funding pause might deny them life-saving drugs and lead to their death.

“It is going to happen because I am not able to reach the hospital. Maybe even if the drug stops from the hospital, which means all of us who are positive, we are going to die.”

Angelina Doki, a 45-year-old mother of three children, has lost her husband two decades ago. Speaking to Eye Radio, she said she fears thousands of people living with the virus might not be able to receive ARVs due to the stop work order.

“It has affected us because the drugs are not going to reach to those who are still in rural areas. Leave us in Juba town. There are some rural areas. The state there, this thing is going to affect them. It affected us here, it will also affect them there.”

On February 13, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said the U.S. decision to temporarily freeze funding to the PEPFAR alongside all other foreign aid for at least a 90-day period has had immediate effects on people living with HIV.

The international medical aid group said although the US has since clarified that certain treatment program can continue at least until April, it is 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 for millions of people has been cut off,” said Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA.

“Despite a limited waiver covering some activities, what our teams are seeing in many of the countries where we work is that people have already lost access to lifesaving care and have no idea whether or when their treatment will continue.”

MSF calls on the US government to immediately resume funding for the full range of PEPFAR operations as well as other critical health and humanitarian aid.

The medical charity said a limited waiver issued by Washington on 1st February for the resumption of some programming with specific guidance for HIV, remains unclear, and it did not immediately reach PEPFAR country teams.