WHEN THE MONEY LEFT: HOW TASO GULU REINVENTED HIV CARE AFTER USAID CUTS
When USAID funding was slashed, many feared HIV care in northern Uganda would unravel. Instead, at TASO Gulu, the cuts triggered an unexpected transformation. Rather than trying to rebuild the old donor-funded model, the organisation began putting communities themselves at the centre of care. It is the first story in a series exploring how organisations across northern Uganda have responded to the end of USAID funding—not only by coping with the losses, but by discovering new forms of local ownership and resilience.
Wat blijft er over als de donor vertrekt?
Het wegvallen van USAID-financiering heeft in veel Afrikaanse landen diepe sporen nagelaten. Projecten stopten, organisaties moesten sluiten en gemeenschappen verloren belangrijke voorzieningen. Maar de crisis bracht ook iets anders aan het licht. In Kenia zag Marc Broere hoe sommige initiatieven verdwenen zodra de donor vertrok, terwijl andere juist nieuwe energie vonden en het als een bevrijding ervoeren. Wat zegt dat over de manier waarop we ontwikkelingssamenwerking organiseren?
Reclaiming the minds and the drawing board
Damian Daniel Etumu does not speak like a man interested in polite reform. The Ugandan innovator dismantles everything from foreign aid dependency to imported education systems and political complacency. He argues that Africa’s deepest crisis is not merely economic or political, but psychological—a condition of learned dependence that keeps nations waiting for rescue instead of rebuilding themselves.
COLUMN: When the Giant Falls, the Village Breathes Again
As global aid systems wobble and donors retreat, many observers predict hardship for African communities. But in a sharply argued response to this narrative, Dr. Moses Isooba, Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum, contends that the real story is not one of collapse, but of liberation. Building on the reflections sparked by Marc Broere’s recent column, he argues that the end of big aid may mark the beginning of Africa’s most grounded, self-determined chapter yet.
COLUMN — When a Crisis Turns Into Clarity
Everywhere in Europe, especially among NGOs, the talk is about shrinking aid budgets. But when Marc Broere listens to conversations in Africa, he hears something else entirely: a quiet but growing sense that this could be the moment to reset the rules of partnership.This column is about that turning point, and what it asks of all of us.
