At the request of Eswatini’s Ministry of Health, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is providing Jhpiego with funds for above-the-line promotional activities such as radio programs, TV talk shows and branding of taxis for VMMC service promotion. These funds support critical VMMC activities not currently covered by funds from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

RISE is a five-year global project funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). RISE works with countries to achieve a shared vision of attaining and maintaining epidemic control, with stronger local partners capable of managing and achieving results through sustainable, self-reliant and resilient health systems by 2024. RISE’s contributions to this work will lead to fewer new HIV infections, decreased HIV-related morbidity and mortality, and increased quality of life for people living with HIV. With USAID PEPFAR investments, RISE supports countries to achieve and maintain epidemic control by providing strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to improve HIV prevention, case finding, treatment programming and viral load suppression. The primary objectives of the RISE project are to: 1) attain and maintain HIV epidemic control among at-risk adult men, women and priority populations; 2) attain and maintain HIV epidemic control among key populations; 3) strengthen health systems including improved program management, health information systems, human resources for health and financial systems to ensure attainment and maintenance of epidemic control; and 4) support the transition of direct funding and implementation to capable local partners to meet the PEPFAR goal of 70% of funding to local partners by 2020. The project is led by Jhpiego with the following partners: ICAP at Columbia University, Management Sciences for Health, Anova, BAO Systems, Johns Hopkins University Center for Public Health and Human Rights and Mann Global Health. RISE is currently active in several countries, including Eswatini.

In Eswatini, RISE is conducting a study of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. This study is titled “A multi-site, open-label non-inferiority study to assess immunogenicity of two doses of the nonavalent HPV vaccine among children, adolescents and young women living with HIV versus three doses of HPV vaccine among HIV uninfected young women in Eswatini.” Led by RISE consortium partner ICAP at Columbia University, the study will conclude in early fiscal year 2023.