From his base in Kenya, Dr. Elias Girma contemplates the impact of U.K. aid cuts on promises to provide lifesaving contraception and family planning across East Africa.
“Absolutely there is anger, it’s an injustice,” he says. “It will mean continuing the cycle of poverty, adolescents not being able to delay having a child, perhaps suffering the complications of an unsafe abortion, protracted illness, and possibly death.”
The U.K. announced a third year of aid cuts in July, and Girma — director of the Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme, or WISH, a program funded by the United Kingdom to offer sexual and reproductive health services — has seen the consequences all too clearly.
Read more:
► UK’s bilateral aid spending to rise sharply after 3 years of cuts
► ‘Thousands will die’ from ongoing aid cuts, UK government admits
► How the UK swipes back tens of millions in aid cash every month in tax
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
