Thousands Of NGO Workers In Zimbabwe Face Uncertainty
Thousands of employees in Zimbabwe’s NGO and civil society sectors face an uncertain future after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order freezing foreign aid for 90 days.
Most NGOs and CSOs in Zimbabwe, which employ many people, rely heavily on U.S. funding.
Humanitarian aid, service organisations, and political governance programs have been particularly impacted.
Employees in the NGO sector told NewsDay on Thursday that they are unsure about their job security following the 90-day review. One of them said:
We are in a difficult position. We don’t know what will happen after the 90 days.
I also do not know where I will get money for rentals since our salaries were also frozen.
Speaking to NewsDay, Zimbabwe Nurses Association secretary-general Enock Dongo, said that nurses, who were working at local clinics under the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) programme, have been told not to come to work. Said Dongo:
We have members who have been working at local clinics who have been told not to report to duty today (yesterday).
Those people are under emotional stress and also the patients who were waiting for them are affected.
What the Trump administration has done is very disrespectful. You cannot just wake up and tell people not to come to work without notice.
Even if the Zimbabwean government wants to chip in, it needs to prepare first. Africa should wake up and not rely on Western funds.
Most of the workers were told to surrender vehicles and gadgets belonging to the NGOs.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) director Blessing Vava said:
I think it is an opportunity for us to go back to the basics and build organic movements, where voluntarism and sacrifice are at the centre.
Trump is doing what he is doing for his country and the American people.
We are Zimbabweans and can never be American, so let’s focus on fixing our problems instead.
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