USAid freeze pushes Lesotho’s HIV patients to traditional healers

A sharp cut in United States aid has reportedly left many HIV-positive people in Lesotho turning to traditional medicine.

In February 2025, US President Donald Trump’s administration froze the majority of its funding to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

This programme has pumped over $850 million (R16.7 billion) into Lesotho’s HIV response since 2016.

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Desperate turn to ancestral healing

On Tuesday, AFP reported that the funding cuts have left patients fearing for their lives and turning to ancestral healing.

Speaking to the news agency, registered traditional healer Lieketseng Lucia Tjatji said she provides herbal treatments to patients with reduced antiretrovirals (ARVs).

“I have helped people. More and more are coming.”

However, Tjatji urges those on ARVs not to mix their medicines with anything not clinically tested.

“My biggest fear is TB. I’m hoping Lesotho will step in and find a way to help us — maybe even make our pills,” she said.

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Shortages, misinformation, and spiritual recourse

According to United Nations aid, by mid-March, only 28% of PEPFAR support had resumed in Lesotho.

Nearly half of previously funded programmes, including PrEP and male circumcision, had been shut down.

The Guardian reported in March that PEPFAR has been instrumental in saving lives and reducing HIV-related deaths across sub-Saharan Africa and that the cuts could destabilise progress in countries like Lesotho.

“If people with HIV stop the medications, then not only do they get sick themselves, which is tragic, but they also then become infectious to others,” Prof Sharon Lewin told the publication .

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ARV therapy remains effective

Lesotho Health Minister Selibe Mochoboroane admitted that the country’s new R2.4 billion health budget does not make any provision for covering the gaps left by the American withdrawal.

Furthermore, the director of the African National Healers Association, Mpho Roberta Masondo, told AFP that traditional medicine is rooted in community well-being.

“Traditional medicine plays a vital role in holistic health and community well-being,” Masondo said.

However, she warned, “Antiretroviral therapy remains the most effective way to suppress HIV.”

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