PEPFAR In Crisis: Raising the Alarm
INSPIRE raises the alarm and calls on all partners within the REIPPPP ecosystem to step in.
Authors: Yakhuluntu Dubazana, Shirlane Douglas
One of the most profound public health stories of our time is unravelling before our eyes...
As the global epicentre of HIV, South Africa has spent the last 15 years mounting one of the most determined responses to the pandemic — driven by the tireless efforts of its people, PEPFAR and CDC, hard earned shifts in strategies, and an unparalleled community level relationships and infrastructure. And now, as major USAID and PEPFAR-funded programs are being terminated, our foundational response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is left wanting – and it’s the country’s most vulnerable who are left in limbo.
Over 5.9 million South Africans are dependent on this life-saving treatment and we at INSPIRE are raising the alarm! We know and have seen what this sector is capable of when united in purpose. During the COVID-19 crisis, Independent Power Producers across South Africa pivoted swiftly and meaningfully, integrating urgent humanitarian aid into their SED/ED spending.
The question we are faced with now, is not can we rise to meet a new challenge but HOW can we do so this time?
Over 40 PEPFAR-funded implementing partners received termination notices from USAID in February this year, and the fallout is already happening in the High Burden Districts – areas which notably/significantly overlap with REIPPPP project locations. This overlap is not just geographic—it’s an opportunity where rapid and adaptive responses don’t just fill gaps but save lives.
We are calling on Independent Power Producers operating in these districts to rise to the occasion.
The REIPPPP model already embeds social responsibility into its structure.
Now is the time to evolve that mandate—not as a replacement for government funding, but as a bridge during this critical moment in history.
Let’s remind ourselves: we are part of communities, not separate from them. And as we watch the consequences of the foreign policy decisions impact our beautiful country, we need to step up.
