Population Services International (PSI) is an incredible organization that has been working worldwide for so long to help so many, delivering healthcare solutions for needs such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. PSI is all about expanding healthcare choices for everyone; the programs are driven by what the people need and their insights. It has a variety of donors, including philanthropists, foundations, and, most importantly, the government. Samantha Kerr, the Senior Manager of Business Development, and my aunt, has been working with PSI for the past 12 years starting as an intern.
This organization relies partially on government funding. Last year, 21 projects were funded by the government, and according to the PSI, this enabled them to reach 15 million people with essential care. Unfortunately, Kerr states that due to cuts being made by the current Trump administration, much of the work previously done is at risk of unraveling. The decades of progress in malaria and HIV prevention, the strengthening of nutrition, and health systems are at risk, putting millions of lives on the line and breaking long-term partnerships the US has held for years.
The work will continue, but it will be impacted. PSI has a catalyst fund and has been using that to continue to fund critical projects in countries that lost significant funding due to the termination of U.S. foreign aid. In Kerr’s opinion, the abrupt end of funding without the opportunity to develop transition plans is harmful to relationships. Many governments will not be able to absorb the cost or logistics of purchasing things like bed nets before malaria season, which puts thousands of young children at risk of a potentially fatal disease.
The International Development community has spent many years developing infrastructure, health systems, and trust with people around the world. When certain promises have been made and they are broken, this will erode the trust that took years to build. It can be hard for people to connect with global health and development initiatives because it is difficult to picture things that are prevented, like malaria and AIDS/HIV.
Kerr’s work is unique; her first experience working in International Development was as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru from 2008-2010. She gained hands-on experience with health challenges in rural areas. They designed projects to build improved cookstoves, pit latrines, and organic gardens, and also supported health campaigns like hand washing. Her experience with the Peace Corps helped Kerr decide that International Development was what she wanted to do and gave her experience in the field. Through PSI, she has traveled to many different places like Pakistan, Cambodia, Guatemala, Honduras, Madagascar, and South Africa. While there, she has worked with teams who are technical experts across different health areas, including HIV, malaria, water, sanitation, and reproductive health. Kerr says, “I’ve learned so much from them, everything from social enterprise to gestational diabetes prevention to creating markets for HIV self-testing.” Kerr says a favorite part of this job is working with so many gifted people around the world, many of them bright young women, and having the ability to help to connect them with opportunities to fund their biggest and boldest ideas.
The work of PSI has been instrumental in helping improve healthcare resources around the world, reaching millions of people with their work. The cuts that are happening to PSI are happening to almost every part of the federal government. If decades of work and progress are being threatened in this one branch of government-funded programs, it means that decades of work and relationship-building are being threatened in every branch of government. This is detrimental to not just the country but the world. Lives could be lost, partnerships destroyed, and the world could become a whole lot worse. The work of individuals like Samantha Kerr and others working to help make a difference is exactly what is needed, even with challenges like the foreign aid policy changing. PSI is working to keep everything running smoothly by utilizing the catalyst fund and asking for donations on their website.
