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HIV crisis grows among Zimbabwe sex workers after US aid cuts

HARARE

Zimbabwean sex workers report increasingly perilous working conditions after US foreign health aid cuts this year closed clinics that provided free HIV prevention tools.

Sharon Mukakanhanga, 43, told AFP the US funding withdrawal forced her to improvise. “These little socks served as condoms when I became so desperate after the American government withdrew its support from my all-time go-to safe haven,” she said.

US-funded PEPFAR projects had provided free services to thousands of sex workers. Government figures show AIDS-related deaths rose to 5 932 in the first half of 2025, up from 5 712 during the same period last year. (official government statistics)

Cecilia Ruzvidzo, 47, who tested HIV-positive, described drastic clinic shortages. “I could not get condoms, which are a necessity for my work. I was at risk of contracting more infections. My clients were also exposed,” she told AFP.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported overwhelmed remaining clinics. “They don’t know where to go. They don’t know where to seek services,” project lead Charlotte Pignon said about patients. While noting multiple factors in rising deaths, she told AFP the funding impact couldn’t be ignored.

Wonder Mufunda of the Centre for Humanitarian Analytics confirmed the $522 million US support cut, including $90 million for HIV programmes. “You wake up and you have lost such funding, there were serious disruptions,” he said, warning that deaths could increase.

The country’s economic crisis has pushed more women into sex work, with about 40 500 now engaged nationwide (CHA estimate). Twenty-year-old Cleopatra Katsande stated competition drove prices down to 50 US cents per client – below condom costs.

Ruzvidzo confirmed prioritizing survival over safety: “We knew it wasn’t safe. But I had to feed my children.” She added: “When it comes to this moment, men don’t think straight.”