Lesotho’s life-saving HIV programmes are on the verge of collapse as a result of the loss of US foreign aid, more than 30 NGOs said at a press conference in the capital Maseru on Tuesday.
According to a statement released at the press conference on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, US President Donald Trump’s “sudden halt or pause in funding” announced at the end of January has already “negatively affected” HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services.
Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom bordered by South Africa, has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.
According to the National Ministry of Health, almost one in every four adults, or 2.3 million people, are HIV positive.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 230,000 people received anti-retroviral treatment in 2021.
The country also boasts the world’s second-highest TB incidence, with an estimated 724 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Since 2016, the US government has contributed $860 million to Lesotho’s HIV response under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), according to the statement.
While Washington reversed its 90-day ban on foreign aid by granting exceptions for PEPFAR-funded clinics and critical medicines, many programmes have remained disrupted.
Lesotho’s Health Minister, Selibe Mochoboroane, stated that the funding freeze has forced 1,500 workers in the country’s already frail health system to go on indefinite leave.
“It’s a disaster—worse than COVID-19,” said Innocent Dube, who runs the Bacha Re Bacha Youth Forum, a group that advocates for youth access to health care.
He encouraged the Lesotho government, together with other non-profits, to close the financing shortfall before the national 2025/26 budget is announced on Wednesday.
“Many people now rely on HIV treatment. If nothing changes, if the budget address does not prioritise that, we will face another calamity,“ Dube said.
