Trump administration ended USAID rape kit program in Congo amid escalating violence
The abrupt cancellation, which had not been previously reported, disrupted services at a time of heightened need.
A USAID flag flies outside the agency’s headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2025. Photo:Reuters.
By Robert Assad
The Trump administration canceled a key USAID contract supplying post-rape emergency kits to eastern Congo amid surging violence this year, leaving thousands without access to critical medication, July 2, 2025.**
The kits, designed to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancies, were intended to support health centers across conflict-stricken regions for the year. The abrupt cancellation, which had not been previously reported, disrupted services at a time of heightened need.
Reuters confirmed the development through officials at the United Nations and four aid organizations providing care to sexual violence survivors in eastern Congo. Reporters also visited a site in South Kivu province, where healthcare workers described the consequences firsthand.
The U.S. State Department, which oversees USAID, declined to comment despite multiple inquiries.
The canceled contract covered about 100,000 kits. Aid workers said the loss left thousands of rape survivors at risk, underscoring the fragile state of humanitarian response in the area.
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