A vital men’s health clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, was forced to close its doors on Tuesday due to the freezing of U.S. foreign aid, a move that has left many in the LGBTQ+ community without access to critical HIV treatment and healthcare services.
Engage Men’s Health Clinic, which operated under funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provided comprehensive HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services tailored to the LGBTQ+ community.
As movers loaded an auction truck with office furniture and medical equipment, the mood at the clinic was somber. The organization plans to auction off its assets in an effort to compensate more than 70 staff members who are now unemployed.
Joseph Adams, the project manager for OUT LGBT Wellbeing, the parent organization overseeing Engage Men’s Health, expressed deep frustration over the shutdown. He revealed that staff members had already been placed on unpaid leave in January after the Trump administration halted PEPFAR funding.
“This clinic was a safe space for people who often face discrimination in mainstream healthcare settings,” Adams said. “Now, our staff – from clinicians to administrative workers – are joining the millions of South Africans struggling to find employment, while our patients are left without critical healthcare services.”
The closure comes amid broader global repercussions of U.S. foreign aid freezes, which have led to severe budget cuts and staff reductions at UN-backed programs in conflict-affected and developing countries, including Afghanistan, Sudan, and Ukraine.
With Engage Men’s Health shutting down, activists and healthcare workers fear that many LGBTQ+ individuals who relied on its specialized services will now face increased barriers to accessing treatment, potentially reversing progress made in South Africa’s fight against HIV/AIDS.
