Forsaken

On January 24, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump halted all U.S. foreign aid, including funding for HIV services. This would mark the beginning of the administration’s upending of more than two decades of U.S. support for the global HIV response. In the months since, officials have abruptly terminated lifesaving programs and attempted to rewrite longstanding partnerships with countries around the world.

In that time, I have tracked the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from within the communities most affected by them. With the support of the Alicia Patterson Foundation and the Pulitzer Center, I have reported from Uganda, Thailand, Malawi, Botswana and Zambia.

Articles:

• Can Trump export Zambia’s HIV success? (Foreign Policy)

• Is PEPFAR about to run out of money? (Devex)

• Are faith-based organizations the future of the AIDS response? (Devex)

• US accused of ‘shameless exploitation’ over Zambian health aid deal (The Guardian)

• One year after US aid freeze, HIV care in Africa is in retreat (Devex)

• Botswana’s HIV services struggle (The Lancet)

• US retreat stalls Botswana’s HIV prevention outreach (Devex)

• The end of ending AIDS (Foreign Policy)

• How will America’s new global health strategy change PEPFAR? (Devex)

• The story of the unfolding HIV crises as seen in three countries (Geneva Health Files)

• US aid cuts: A new era of HIV care in Malawi (The Lancet)

• In Malawi, the fight to get HIV services back on track post-USAID cuts (Devex)

• Global Fund plans to cut $1.4 billion from grants it has already awarded (Devex)

• Women bear the brunt of Trump’s devastating aid cuts (Impact)

• Following PEPFAR cuts, vulnerable Ugandans are dying, providers say (Devex)

• Frustration mounts as Uganda faces HIV treatment shortages (Devex)

• Why PEPFAR has bigger problems than reauthorization (Devex)

• PEPFAR cuts hit Uganda’s most vulnerable (Foreign Policy)

• Cuts to USAID-funded research another blow to global HIV response (Devex)

• US delayed assistance to Uganda’s Ebola response (Devex)

• A month after stop-work order, Uganda’s HIV response in chaos (Devex)

• Confusion, fear as PEPFAR partners suspend HIV services (Devex)

Radio and podcast appearances:

• Global Dispatches (January 27, 2026)

• BBC Health Check (January 14, 2026)

• BBC Health Check (August 3, 2025)

• BBC Health Check (March 19, 2025)