00:06Zambia has made significant progress in the fight against HIV since the devastating peak
00:11of the 1990s. Treatment access has expanded and new infections have declined. However,
00:18U.S. funding cuts, which began in 2025, have raised fears that the hard-won progress could
00:24be reversed. So the greatest fear is we do not want to see ourselves getting back to where we
00:31started from. For me, my fear is will I be able to make sure that I continue with my treatment?
00:38The funding reductions have already had negative effects. We were conducting some community-led
00:44monitoring program in northern province. So when that donor cut came, we had to lose this
00:52for the CBVs who are collecting this data. So because they were on stipends.
00:59At the center of the fallout between Zambia and the U.S. is a proposed five-year, one-billion-dollar
01:05health funding deal.
01:06Many people are asking, what does this America First approach mean for other countries? Is
01:11there room for a middle ground? Because if it's America First, then there's limited room
01:17for Zambia First. There was concern that without the transparency, without transparency, this
01:23agreement could be bulldozed and result in an agreement detrimental to the Zambian people.
01:31The Zambian government has acknowledged the importance of continued health funding but
01:35argues the proposed conditions are imbalanced and potentially unsustainable. Stakeholders say
01:42the crisis should serve as a turning point. With the cutting of this donor, it's a lesson
01:47length. Something that is like a wake-up call. So never to depend so much on donors. We have to
01:56start local resource mobilization. Even though the April 30th deadline has passed, the Zambian
02:02government says it will continue dialogue as millions wait anxiously to see whether life-saving
02:08treatment will remain within reach. Farai Mwaku Tuya, CGTN.
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