USAID cuts hit Indonesia's fight against HIV/AIDS

DW (English)

The Trump administration's freeze on foreign assistance programs puts Indonesia's battle against HIV/AIDS at risk. For years, NGOs funded by USAID have been playing a crucial role in tracing and supporting HIV-positive individuals.

Transcript

00:00This man belongs to one of Indonesia's most marginalized communities, the LGBT community,

00:10often linked to one of the nation's silent killers, HIV-AIDS.

00:15Tama once worked full-time at an NGO as a tracer and counselor for people living with

00:22HIV.

00:23He encouraged gay men to get tested and helped them access treatment, part of USAID-funded

00:29efforts to curb HIV among young Indonesians.

00:35People who are in denial usually haven't fully accepted themselves yet.

00:39I often give them examples of other people with similar cases, saying something like,

00:44I have a friend who has accepted their condition as a person living with HIV.

00:49Over time, they tend to open up.

00:54It is a role that remains critical in the fight against HIV, making sure that patients

01:01stay on their medication while protecting them from stigma and persecution.

01:07But after funding cuts, Tama lost his job at the NGO.

01:12While the Indonesian government provides access to antiretroviral treatment, its usage remains

01:19low.

01:20Recent data shows that only a third of people living with HIV in Indonesia receive treatment.

01:27Experts point to stigma as a major barrier.

01:31Many avoid treatment out of fear of social consequences as HIV-AIDS is still seen as

01:37a shameful disease.

01:39Key populations, such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, and others, are often

01:49treated as subgroups within the general population, as if their values don't align with those

01:56of society.

02:03NGOs can manage many things more efficiently than the Ministry of Health or the government.

02:11They serve as a bridge, ensuring that programs run smoothly and effectively.

02:20Last year, USAID allocated US$9.4 million to help control Indonesia's HIV-AIDS epidemic.

02:29Much of that money went to programs that focus on finding and linking HIV-positive individuals

02:35to available medication.

02:38With that funding now on hold, partner NGOs are being forced to halt their tracing programs,

02:44leaving hundreds of tracers like Tama Unemployed and thousands of HIV-positive individuals

02:49unmonitored.

02:51Their hope is for the government to step in and fill the gap left behind.

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