Show Notes
The sudden collapse of USAID in 2025 sent shockwaves through Uganda’s HIV response and the people hardest hit are those the system was already failing.
When Elon Musk bragged on social media that USAID had been put through the woodchipper,” the consequences for millions of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa were immediate - and potentially irreversible.
That is the warning from researchers and community advocates speaking on the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Between the Lines podcast. With an estimated loss in funding of over US$300 million. While a new US$2.3 billion five-year health cooperation agreement was signed in December 2025, the abrupt reductions have severely impacted health services.
In the new podcast episode released today, Chris Stevenson, International Editor at the Independent, Megan Schmidt-Sane, Research Fellow at IDS, and Kyomya Macklean, Executive Director of the Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) in Uganda examine what the Impacts have been on community-based HIV services and vulnerable communities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Between the Lines
As climate shocks become more frequent across East and Southern Africa, building resilience is critical to reducing poverty and improving wellbeing.
African countries must work more closely together at regional and continental levels if they are to overcome barriers to innovation and drive sustainable development, experts have warned.
Social protection is seen as a solution to many problems of development, including poverty, food insecurity and access to services. But we also know that social protection has its limitations. So how do we justify getting Governments to invest in social protection programmes rather than investing in infrastructure or job creation or other services like health and education?
IDS was recently honoured to welcome the Hon. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr Harini Amarasuriya to mark the 60th anniversary of IDS. She shared her journey from her career as an academic and an activist before entering politics and being elected as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 2024.
Disability is very much part of the human experience, with an estimated 16% of the world’s population experiencing significant disability. Despite this, people with disabilities often remain excluded or underrepresented in development programmes and research.