THE MONTHLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 13 - MARCH 15, 2025 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 4 Kimone Francis/ Senior Staff Reporter AN 11TH-HOUR limited waiver from the US Department of State has halted a decision by The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, to lay off at least 20 persons employed to Health Connect Jamaica (HCJ), following the shuttering of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Last Wednesday, the workers, mostly contract, were told of UWI’s decision during a virtual meeting with senior personnel from the university – which in January 2021 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to govern the operations of HCJ. HCJ, which has a mandate to expand access and utilisation of high-quality HIVspecific primary health services in the private health sector, was being funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through USAID. The network was comprised of private clinicians, laboratories, psychologists, and the HCJ care team. HCJ operations were being conducted as a special project of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) UWI, Mona. Only last year, USAID granted US$4 million to the programme, 10 per cent of which went to UWI to oversee its operations. The funding was to cover four years, from 2024 to 2028, and to focus on HIV and global health initiatives. ‘NO WARNING’ “They said they laying us off for 120 days and, if it is that USAID comes back with anything, depending on the terms of the new agreement, they will revise our contracts and offer us back a job,” one worker told The Gleaner following the meeting. “There was no warning, no contingency plan, we just deh here. I just don’t know,” said the worker, who did not want to be identified. Attempts by The Gleaner to reach Dr Geoffery Barrow, principal investigator and director of HCJ, for comment on the development were unsuccessful. Barrow had initially agreed to speak on the impact USAID’s shutdown would have on the local project but could not be later reached for comment. In an email Barrow sent to clinicians last week, which was seen by The Gleaner, the group was told that a stop-work order was put in place by USAID. He told the group that the suspension was as a result of the US secretary of state’s executive order on review of foreign assistance programme dated January 24, 2025 concerning all foreign assistance awards. “We have written to request further clarification, specifically related to our contractual relationship with you and the consequences to our clients, and we were awaiting the same before communicating with you,” Barrow said in the email. “However, as these have not yet been forthcoming, we must proceed with the strictest of definitions, whereby no services can continue to be delivered under this project. However, I am sure your clients will greatly appreciate your support in ensuring continuous access to ART and any other services you may be willing to provide. Needless to say, these are unprecedented times. At HCJ, we remain committed to our patients and all our partners, and we appreciate your continued support.” Since that email, the Donald Trump administration announced that, effective 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 7, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programmes. The notice was posted to the partially defunct website of USAID and is the latest move in the sudden dismantling of the six-decade aid agency by returning political appointees in Trump’s first term and billionaire Elon Musk’s government-efficiency teams, who call much of the spending on programmes overseas wasteful. Musk described USAID, a $50-billiona-year foreign aid agency, as a “bowl of worms” with nothing to salvage. LIMITED WAIVER GRANTED But in a letter dated February 2, 2025 from a USAID representative to Professor Densil Williams, principal of UWI, the entity said a limited waiver had been granted for HCJ to continue work related only to life-saving humanitarian assistance for HIV. “UWI/HCJ will not undertake activities related to abortion services, family planning, conferences, administrative costs outside the scope outlined in the attachment, or programs centred on gender; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); transgender surgeries; or other forms of non-lifesaving assistance,” the letter said. Concerns have been raised about the vacuum being created with the halting of USAID and the possibility of other superpowers filling that void. For 2025, USAID requested from Congress US$5 million to fund health development assistance in Jamaica. A further US$4 million was requested for economic support fund, and US$750,000 for military education. In a January 24, 2025 letter to Barrow, USAID had ordered the suspension of the project which, it said, would remain in effect until further notice. Barrow was told to immediately cease all activities related to the identified scope of programme description; protect and secure all project materials, work-in-progress, equipment, and documentation; provide a detailed inventory of completed and in-progress work within five business days; and submit a summary of costs incurred up to the effective date of the suspension, including any anticipated expenses for demobilisation or other related costs. PROGRAMMES IN LIMBO But that programme is not the only one in limbo. In September 2024, USAID launched a $470 million (US$3 million) Youth Empower Activity (EMPOWER) initiative designed to foster sustainable development and positive growth for Jamaica’s most at-risk youth. The five-year programme, implemented by the Education Development Center (EDC), served to address critical barriers faced by youth in underserved communities, including limited access to education, training, and employment. Questions emailed by The Gleaner to Siobhan Murphy, chief operating officer and interim CEO at the EDC, were not immediately answered. The Gleaner was told that Murphy was locked in an hours-long meeting with the board of trustees. The Gleaner has also learnt that another USAID-funded agency, which works within Jamaica’s civil society sector, collaborating with the government USAID RELIEF! • 11th-hour limited waiver halts layoff of UWI staff amid USAID shuttering; other aid programmes still in limbo • PM to address development as gov’t declares ‘we have to be independent’ Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, who work for a company doing contract work for the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, carry signs outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, Monday, February 10, 2025. AP Please see USAID, 7
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=