Uganda NGOs denounce impact of USAID cuts on human rights
U.S. had previously been a key supporter of LGBTQI human rights in Uganda
Several leading nongovernmental organizations serving Uganda’s LGBTQI communities collectively condemned discriminatory and homophobic policies coming from U.S. President Trump, including the decision to freeze nearly all foreign aid, noting that the move could destroy the long standing kinship between the two countries.
The groups, including the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF), Children of the Sun Foundation, Uganda Key Populations Consortium, Freedom and Roam Uganda, Uganda Network of Sex-Worker-Led Organizations, and the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development, among others, convened in Kampala February 3 to plan for how they would adapt to the disappearance of U.S. support. The organizations expressed concern that, in the absence of immediate alternative funding, the abrupt freeze of critical aid is going to end lives and destroy livelihoods.
The abrupt termination of programs such as USAID/Uganda Voices for Change and the suspension of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiatives have already caused devastating consequences.
U.S. government funding has long served as a lifeline for marginalised communities in Uganda, enabling organizations to provide critical healthcare, advocacy, and community support for vulnerable populations. Despite what the new U.S. administration has alleged about USAID, consecutive U.S. administrations have always made it their business to ensure that American taxpayers’ money is serving these purposes and that those who misappropriate it are held accountable.
Uganda’s human rights landscape is already headed for an unprecedented crisis, as the impact of abrupt funding pauses and a range of discriminatory policies by the Trump administration filter down into communities. The organizations’ leaders used the meeting to examine the implications of Trump’s harmful Executive Orders to Uganda’s human rights situation and how the negative impact of the orders can be mitigated.
Beyond financial strain, the funding disruptions have triggered severe mental health challenges, heightened uncertainty around medication access, and exacerbated structural inequalities that disproportionately impact marginalised communities, especially the LGBTIQ+ communities.
“The rollback of U.S.AID has emboldened discrimination and hostility toward the LGBTIQ+ and key populations communities, threatening legal protection and access to services,” says Richard Lusimbo, the Director General of Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC).
Targeted attacks on the Transgender and LGBTIQ+ Community have already happened, according to a report just published by the UKPC titled No Time To Wait.
“The pause in funding raises further concerns that existing services tailored to vulnerable populations might be deprioritized or shut down, leaving trans and LGBTIQ+ persons particularly exposed to gaps in healthcare, legal protection, and psychosocial support,” says the report.
Homophobes in Uganda, led by Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, were the first to celebrate Trump’s victory, accusing the Biden administration of “funding homosexual” in Uganda.
Flavia Zalwango, a Programs Director at HRAPF, says there is likely to be more attacks on the LGBTQI+ community because Washington is no longer defending human rights.
“In terms of implementation of human rights interventions, we are going to see a lot of issues of violations of human rights, but also this in a broader sense means that the U.S. is not going to commit to making our country accountable in cases of these violations,” Zalwango says.
One of the things that has always scared the Ugandan government is the threat that the U.S. government would take action against such acts. Trump’s decision to withdraw funding gender-diverse or gender-inclusive programs means human rights advocates and the Ugandan people in general are now on their own.
“No more savior any more. No big brother watching,” Zalwango says.
Zalwango does not expect much from European countries because according to her, they have been following America’s lead.
She says the U.S. government cuts have meant that HRAPF has lost over 40% of its budget. HRAPF is a leading organization when it comes to documenting violations of the rights of LGBTQI+ persons in Uganda and providing free legal support to the victims of homophobic attacks.
Without enough funding, Flavia says, “I am looking at chaos.”
