USAID-Backed Program Facilitates Male Circumcisions in Zimbabwe

The Canadian Press reports on how a USAID-backed program operating in Zimbabwe is helping provide male circumcision services. Despite what the article describes as tension between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the U.S., the "program, begun in May 2009, has carried out 12,000 circumcisions. The U.S. spent $6.6 million on it in the first year and more money is promised as the program scales up," the news service writes. "The U.S. is Zimbabwe's biggest aid donor – more than $1 billion since 2002 – and the biggest contributor to nationwide modern AIDS clinics that have tested and counselled 2 million people." The article describes how previous studies have shown male circumcision drives down HIV transmission rates, profiles a 32-year-old man from Zimbabwe who receives a circumcision through the U.S.-supported program, and describes its expansion plans. The piece includes quotes from Bill Jansen, a senior adviser with USAID in Zimbabwe (Shaw, 11/14).

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