US Government Funding Freeze – Amref UK News Statement

For almost 70 years, Amref Health Africa has been a lifeline for communities across the continent, delivering healthcare to 17 million people annually. That life-saving work is now in jeopardy, reversing gains made especially in the last 20 years. 

The freezing of US Government funding is plunging Africa into an unprecedented healthcare crisis. Without this funding, which makes up around 30% of Amref’s overall portfolio, countries across Africa will not be able to control and prevent the spread of diseases and outbreaks, provide vital maternal health or support the healthcare workforce. With life-saving work at risk, the impact will be devastating.  

In 2024 alone, Amref Health Africa supported 1.4 million people across Tanzania with HIV testing services. A similar number will likely be left without access to this life-saving service in 2025. Nearly 100,000 individuals in Tanzania currently receiving Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) face the hard reality of losing access to their medication - putting their lives in immediate danger. Of those at risk, about 32,000 are children or young people.

In Malawi, 117 public sector health facilities supported by Amref Health Africa are now at risk of running out of medical supplies needed by health workers. This means that more than 108,000 babies and children are at risk of missing their full immunisations and over 55,000 Malawian babies may miss out on the care that should be provided in the first hours of their lives. Over 100,000 women will go without nutrition related counselling and support, including supplements.

The impact of this decision is not confined to one part of the world —it will devastate entire communities including their access to health services and cause harm to infants, pregnant women and mothers, countless families and health workers.

The shuttering of U.S. foreign aid is not just an American political issue - it’s a crisis that is felt across the world and is already endangering lives. 

Image: Boy crouches with his face in his hands in an area of unclean water (c) Amref Health Africa/Steve Kagia