As the Trump administration moves to dramatically cut the United States’ international aid budget, some volunteers from Prince Edward Island are beginning to see the impact on the ground, particularly on efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.
Nancy Macfadyen, a nurse with the P.E.I.-based non-profit Farmers Helping Farmers, has been in Kenya for the past few weeks. The organization primarily supports farming communities in the East African nation, but also works on initiatives beyond agriculture, including health care.
Macfadyen is currently in Kenya’s Meru County working with health-care volunteers and professionals to address human health concerns in the region.
She said people there have relied on U.S. funding to provide treatment for people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which without treatment can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Now, she fears the frozen funding will mean the difference between life and death.
“Different people I spoke to at different dispensaries and community hospitals — they’re basically fighting tears because their full-time job is managing these people that are positive …