Swazi Observer

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ELIZABETH GLAZER SHUTS DOWN

By Sithemble Hlatshwayo | 2025-03-01

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) on Thursday, served all its employees with notification letters terminating their contracts.

The employees are expected to serve notice until the end of March. Other organisations that have been affected include Georgetown University, the International Centre for AIDS Care and Treatment Programmes (ICAP), EGPAF, URC, Chemonics, and Data File (DFI).

The employees stated that they had stopped implementing immediately and that people living with HIV would continue to suffer in terms of the services they were receiving.

The employees said: “We were recalled from the field by the employer on Thursday and served with the notices terminating our services. We will be serving notice until the end of March.”

They mentioned that when they were recalled, some of the appointments they had already made with clients had to be cancelled.

According to the employees, the local ASPIRE project was working in the Hhohho and Shiselweni regions in 78 healthcare facilities. They stated that all these facilities would be affected following EGPAF's withdrawal of its services as per the instructions given.

The letters read:
“Please be informed that your services have been terminated and the position declared redundant. The reason for the termination of your employment is the termination of the ASPIRE Project in Eswatini.”

This follows award termination notices forwarded to the organisation (EGPAF) for three of its primary USAID agreements, which had previously received approval to resume limited work under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) waiver for lifesaving work from the department of state.

This was due to a decree issued by the United States President Donald Trump, which withdrew funding for all PEPFAR programmes related to HIV/AIDS.

The information was communicated through a memorandum signed by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget at the Executive Office of the President in Washington, DC, Methew J. Vaeth, indicating that the temporary pause on Global Health funding was effective from January 28.

Other organisations funded under PEPFAR in the country include Georgetown University. These agreements covered HIV programming in Eswatini, Lesotho, and Tanzania that serves pregnant women, children, and families with HIV.

“We are instructed to immediately cease all activities and terminate all sub-awards as well as contracts associated with the awards,” reads the award termination notice in part.

It further states that these projects, which were funded under ASPIRE in the three countries, supported more than 350 000 people on HIV treatment, including nearly 10 000 children and more than 10 000 HIV-positive pregnant women. Meanwhile, it also states that terminating these programmes would have a devastating impact on the communities EGPAF served and the work to end AIDS in children, youth, and families.

When asked to respond to the state of affairs at the organisation, EGPAF's Communications, Advocacy, and Outreach Manager, Muzi Yende could not commit on the termination notice but said the organisation needed more time to look into the questions sent to them and would respond accordingly.

Reached for comment, the Ministry of Health Communications Officer, Nsindiso Tsabedze, who was asked what the next step would be following the termination of the services, leaving the beneficiaries without any other option, said they were yet to sit down and look at the impact this situation would create. Furthermore, he said they would then assess and see what could be done to close the gaps.

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