Funding Uncertainty Continues

Within days of arriving in Eldoret, Kenya, in January to begin my new role, our funding for the care of 127,000+ people living with HIV collapsed.

AMPATH's HIV programs have been funded through USAID since the establishment of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Additionally, robust research efforts to understand disease processes, prevent disease, improve healthcare delivery, and optimize treatment of specific diseases (such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria) are funded through the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

During the funding pause earlier this year, AMPATH staff showed up to work even when they didn’t know if they would be paid. Thanks to you, our AMPATH friends and donors, who enabled us to pay February salaries and expenses through your continuing support of the AMPATH Emergency Response Fund. My gratitude to you for continuing care for our patients is beyond measure.

Our direct HIV care and treatment programs continue with some reductions, but we fear future cuts to PEPFAR. Unfortunately, on May 1, NIH announced a pause on all new or renewing foreign sub-awards (contracts with foreign institutions where U.S. institutions are the primary awardee) and foreshadowed changes in the granting process, leading to uncertainty about the future of global health research funded by the NIH. These changes will impede scientific discovery, adversely impact care, and substantially slow the development of human resources for health in Kenya.

The uncertainty is difficult, but we continue to lead with care and to dream. AMPATH has always responded to past challenges with grit. I truly believe we will not only recover but come out with greater resilience and adaptability.