Ugandan LGBTQ+ rights advocate Pius Kennedy is among numerous humanitarian workers worldwide who find themselves effectively unemployed following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle the primary agency responsible for providing humanitarian assistance to other nations.
Kennedy is employed by the Africa Queer Network, a nonprofit organization that offers counseling services to Uganda’s LGBTQ community, primarily funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
At the end of January, he and five other permanent staff members received a notice instructing them to cease work immediately after Trump mandated USAID to suspend the majority of its operations.
USAID has faced significant cuts as the new administration and Elon Musk’s budget-reducing team target federal programs deemed unnecessary or misaligned with conservative values.
“Some donors are now likely to withdraw their support because they were also relying on similar funding sources to provide us with sub-grants,” Kennedy stated.
He expressed that these funding reductions could reverse years of progress in the country.
Kennedy noted that USAID had been the largest supporter of HIV initiatives, with approximately 20 million individuals benefiting from medications and testing services through affiliated organizations.
With the future of U.S. funding uncertain, Kennedy highlighted the immediate repercussions for vulnerable individuals in some of the world’s poorest communities, lamenting that survivor of gender-based violence lack access to essential medical or psychological care.
He also raised concerns regarding the stricter conditions imposed on asylum seekers.
Following Uganda’s enactment of one of the most severe anti-homosexuality laws globally last year, the U.S. was perceived as a refuge for LGBTQ+ individuals.
However, Kennedy now fears that those facing threats in Uganda may no longer find asylum in the U.S.
“I view this not merely as an issue impacting Uganda or East Africa, but as a challenge that affects global citizenship,” he remarked.
