US aid Fund's exit endangers HIV-positive orphans in Kenya

US aid Fund's exit endangers HIV-positive orphans in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya - A two -year -old boy named Evans was recorded a year ago in the Nyumbani children's home in Nairobi, Kenya, after he had HIV and tuberculosis. Since he had no family who could take care of him, he was transferred from a health center to the orphanage after he had no longer addressed medical treatment.

The life -saving role of nyumbani

The Nyumbani children's home is the reason why Evans still lives. However, political decisions that are made thousands of kilometers could endanger his short life. Nyumbani provides him and around 100 other children with antiretroviral drugs that they receive from the USA agency for International Development (USA) through the Kenyan government.

a critical moment for the children's home

The recent arrangement of US President Donald Trump to freeze the financing of USAID could mean that Nyumbani will soon no longer have access to vital antiretroviral drugs that stop the HIV virus incorporation in the body. Trump's command provides for a review of almost all US foreigners for 90 days, and his government has taken steps to close USAID. The effects are already noticeable, with thousands of people who lose their jobs worldwide and humanitarian programs that are affected all over the world.

a life or death scenario

For the children in the Nyumbani children's home, this is a question of life and death. While Evans plays with other preschool children, he is not aware of his uncertain future, despite the worries of his supervisors. The small graves at the end of the orphanage area are a dark memory of what the future could look like for the children without a USA. This is a scenario that sister Tresa Palakudy, who has been working in this home for 28 years, knows only too well, as she already looked after the orphanage before the support of the USA.

"When we started to take care of them, they had no spark of life," she said. "One after the other died. It was so painful and I don't want it to happen again."

The development of Nyumbani and the importance of USA

When Nyumbani was founded by Christian missionaries in 1992, there were no anti -retroviral drugs. At that time, it served as a sanctuary for orphaned and abandoned children who lived with HIV and offered mostly palliative care. With the introduction of the US President Emergency Plan for AIDS-Hilfe (Pepper) in 2003 there was new hope for children with HIV on the entire continent, also for the orphans in the Nyumbani. Pepper's humanitarian aid to combat HIV in Kenya was largely financed by the USA.

"USAI started to provide Arvs free of charge," said Palakudy. "We put all of our children on ARVS and their lives changed. They became healthy and were able to go to school and how other children live."

financial challenges and controversy

In the past two decades, the US government has spent more than $ 8 billion for the HIV/AIDS treatment of almost 1.3 million people in Kenya. The USA and Pepfar were crucial for the operation of Nyumbani and donated more than $ 16 million to the home between 1999 and 2023. This enabled the home to reach up to 50,000 children through the collecting center and through the two Outreach programs Lea Toto and Nyumbani Village.

Direct financing by the USA was discontinued in 2023, around the same time when the orphanage was examined by volunteers and employees due to accusations. According to a report by the Washington Post, six former residents claimed that the administrative members in the home had covered up the accusations of sexual abuse. The home denied these allegations and insisted that all accusations in accordance with the protocols, including the report to the local authorities and the provision of advice for affected residents, were treated.

the future in danger

The managing director Judith Wamboye said that the investigation by the Kenyan police was not conclusive. The hiring of the funds was not related to the investigation, but was the result of a change in the USA's policy that aimed to lead help through the government and not directly to organizations. This policy adjustment concerned all organizations that received funding. Instead of giving money directly to non -governmental organizations, the financing through government programs should be directed that covered similar needs. As a result, Nyumbani reduced his outreach programs and handed over the beneficiaries to state institutions.

The threatening situation for the children

After the establishment of direct financing by the USA, the two Outreach programs from Nyumbani were returned, and the children in the program were referred to other centers. However, Nyumbani continues to rely on USAI to obtain the vital Pepper HIV treatment medication free of charge. "The future is uncertain," said Wamboye. "The Kenyan government has announced that it only has ARV supplies that are enough for six months."

According to data from Amfar, the Foundation for AIDS Research, around 1.3 million people in HIV/AIDS treatment are dependent on Pepperia and 1,602 orphans in Kenya. Amfar warns that Trump's freezing the foreigners could endanger the decisive medical care of the children.

The fears of those affected

Another affected child is Mercy, who has been under the care of Nyumbani since the past 12 years. The ARVs saved their lives. "I had a very weak immune system," she said. "This meant that I got many serious diseases such as tuberculosis and skin diseases."

Mercy received the HIV treatment, which gave her a lifeline, but the current news about freezing the means is very afraid for her life. "I am very afraid that former illnesses that I had in my youth will appear again. And now that I have completed the high school and are ready to go to college, I am afraid that everything will be ruined," she said.

On average, the children's home needs $ 1,139 per child every year for HIV treatment. In addition to anti-retroviral drugs, the home needs to be carried out by reagents to carry out regular tests of virus load in the children, as well as medication for the treatment of opportunistic diseases that are common in HIV patients.

wamboye said that if Pepper should be permanently hired, the costs for the ARVs could increase and become unaffordable, which would mean that children would die with HIV. "This is a life -saving situation, and we cannot simply wait and negotiate about human life. For us, it's about human life, about the lives we have to save. Something has to be done," she added.