Burundi is landlocked between Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Of the estimated 10.72 million population, 67% live below the poverty line.

Association Burundaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial, (ABUBEF) set up in 1991, provides a range of essential services, with a strong focus on HIV. Around 84,000 people are living with HIV in Burundi, of whom 12,000 are children under 14. 

ABUBEF’s focus is on HIV prevention and management: from youth-friendly counselling to programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission.  

The withdrawal of US funding due to the Global Gag Rule will drastically reduce and, in some instances, close ABUBEF’s vital healthcare services and programmes. It is estimated that loss of funding to ABUBEF through the global gag rule will deny 117,016 people access to safe, sexual and reproductive healthcare. ABUBEF currently supports around 2, 123 people with anti-retroviral treatment, who will be affected by the cuts.

Donavine Uwimana, Executive Director of ABUBEF, “The GGR affects our very existence, with a forecasted funding cut of 39% in 2017 as well as a major decline in the supply of almost all sexual and reproductive health and HIV commodities.”

Putting people first: providing health care despite funding and staff losses in Burundi

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The Association Burundaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial's (ABUBEF) provides vital integrated services to local communities, including contraception, prevention and treatment of HIV, youth-friendly counselling and education, pre-marital counselling, and antenatal and post-natal care.

ABUBEF has 18 service points, including static and mobile clinics, and community-based services. An estimated 80% of its clients are poor, marginalized, socially excluded and/or under-served. ABUBEF supports young people living with HIV, internally displaced persons, sex workers, drug users and street children.  

The continuation of many of these vital health services are under threat following the reintroduction of the Global Gag Rule by the US Administration. The Global Gag Rule, or Mexico City Policy as it is formally known, stops US aid to all health programmes run by organisations who perform or counsel on abortion. 

ABUBEF says: “Almost all contraceptives, HIV reagents, STI drugs, antiretroviral and consumables for HIV management are procured through UNFPA, USAID and US-financed government programmes, which will be affected by the Global Gag Rule.” 

when

23 January 2018

country

Burundi

Blog Series

Fighting The Global Gag Rule

Subject

Contraception, HIV and STIs, Maternal Healthcare, Gynaecological

Related Member Association

Association Burundaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial

ABUBEF provides services to a range of clients including people living with HIV such as pregnant women, internally displaced persons and sex workers. The impact through funding losses affects service provision – including safe delivery for HIV-positive women, and a reduction in medical staff and drugs and commodities available.

IPPF is trying to find alternative funds to fill the gaps – a combination of long- and short-term measures to avoid closures and reductions in services.

Donavine explains how far-reaching the impact is for ABUBEF: “Almost all contraceptives, HIV reagents, STI drugs, antiretroviral and consumables for HIV management are procured through UNFPA, USAID and US-financed government programmes, which will be affected by the GGR,” she says.

IPPF visited several ABUBEF run projects at risk of closure across Burundi that included a centre in Kirundo for vulnerable women such as sex workers and survivors of gender-based violence.  And in Ngozi, an HIV clinic that provides mobile clinics, and a maternity ward with a focus on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

Learn more about the Global Gag Rule

Help us bridge the funding gap