US aid cuts have left Zimbabwe’s sex workers without critical HIV prevention tools, forcing many into unsafe practices and straining health facilities.
Sex workers in Zimbabwe are grappling with a health crisis following the abrupt withdrawal of US aid that previously supported HIV prevention and treatment. The cuts have left thousands without access to free condoms, antiretroviral drugs, and vital care, worsening the country’s fragile health system.
For 43-year-old sex worker Sharon Mukakanhanga, the desperation became extreme. “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 told AFP.
The US President’s decision to halt funding has coincided with a rise in AIDS-related deaths, with 5,932 recorded in the first half of 2025 compared to 5,712 last year. “It was a very difficult period. I literally lost my mind,” said HIV-positive sex worker Cecilia Ruzvidzo, who left a clinic with only 10 days’ worth of medication.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said its clinics were “stretched thin” as more sex workers struggle to access life-saving services.