Amid Budget Woes, PEPFAR Is a Program Worth Saving

In this post in LA Progressive, Georgianne Nienaber, an investigative and political writer, examines the potential effects of reduced PEPFAR funding and highlights the non-denominational Christian ACTS clinic operating in South Africa as an example of a U.S. foreign aid success story. She writes, "At ACTS, PEPFAR funding supports a program that treats HIV-infected men, women, and children ... seeing close to 4,000 patients a month and operating an eleven-bed community in-patient hospice 24/7." She adds that a recent visit to the clinic "cement[ed] our impression that this was a program that put American taxpayers' monies to good and just use. It is a guess, but one would have to assume that Americans would welcome the good news that USAID funding can work. PEPFAR is certainly a program worth saving" (9/27).