USAID Cuts $522 Million In Aid To Zimbabwe
The United States government has scaled back its global aid efforts, cutting 83% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programmes worldwide.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that after a six-week review of USAID operations, approximately 5,200 projects have been discontinued.
The cuts impact a range of initiatives, including key projects previously funded with a total budget of $522 million. Of that amount, $388 million was allocated to ongoing projects—now all terminated.
This list only accounts for USAID-funded programmes, not those supported indirectly through other organisations like the World Food Programme.
USAID has long been a major contributor to international aid, including significant support for the Global Fund, which provides crucial assistance for Zimbabwe’s HIV, TB, and malaria programs.
Among the most affected initiatives is USAID’s extensive HIV support in Zimbabwe, which included programmes worth over $90 million.
These projects provided technical, financial, and material support, including wages for essential health workers.
USAID-funded programmes aimed at reducing new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women—totalling $53.2 million—will be halted, as will another $30.1 million for orphans and vulnerable children in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces. A further $17.4 million, dedicated to supporting services for vulnerable children, will also be discontinued.
In addition, projects under the “Resilience Anchors” initiative, valued at $19 million, aimed to help vulnerable communities recover from natural disasters like droughts while promoting environmental conservation, will no longer be funded.
USAID’s commitment to Zimbabwe’s malaria strategy, including the Zimbabwe Assistance Programme in Malaria (ZAPIM), worth $25.7 million, is also being terminated, along with $2.6 million earmarked for malaria research.
Other notable cuts include $16.5 million for maternal, neonatal, and child health projects in five targeted provinces, and $29 million for tuberculosis prevention and treatment, which included support for health workers.
USAID had allocated $18.99 million for enhancing citizen participation in governance, $4.91 million for constitutional reform advocacy, and $12 million for youth campaigns promoting good governance. A $5 million budget for supporting torture victims will also be scrapped.
Furthermore, programmes focusing on media accountability and narrative reform, including $8 million for “New Narratives for Accountability” and $7 million for media organisations, will be discontinued.
More: newZWire
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