Working together to end AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

See who's making a change

FIRST RADIAN recipients: IMPACT SO FAR

Support from RADIAN has helped local partners achieve some remarkable successes, including to date:

  • 123,000+

    people have been reached with direct services, increasing HIV service coverage for those who need it most

    Impact Icon1
  • 58,000+

    people have been tested for HIV

    Impact Icon4
  • 7,000+

    frontline workers have been trained to reduce stigma and improve quality and access of care for key populations

    Impact Icon2
  • 18,500+

    people living with HIV have been linked to care (both newly diagnosed and those people lost to follow-up)

    Impact Icon3

Data provided by the Elton John AIDS Foundation – June 2023

A ground-breaking partnership

The global community now has the tools to meaningfully address new HIV infections; however, HIV is on the rise in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA).

To address the challenges in EECA and leave no one behind in the global effort to end the HIV epidemic, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Gilead Sciences launched the ground-breaking RADIAN partnership in 2019.

RADIAN is a natural evolution of the existing collaboration between the Foundation and Gilead in the EECA Key Populations (EECAKP) fund, which gave the organisations a greater understanding of the urgent needs in EECA and the necessary experience to respond.

RADIAN aims to meaningfully address new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in EECA through focused action, investment and resourcing to improve the quality of prevention and care for people living with or at risk of HIV in the region.

A MESSAGE FROM SIR ELTON JOHN & DAVID FURNISH

A MESSAGE FROM GILEAD SCIENCES

RADIAN

Radian Changemakers

The RADIAN Changemakers campaign shares the inspirational stories of RADIAN community partners in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), one of the few regions in the world where the annual HIV infection rate continues to rise.1 These ordinary, yet remarkable, people are making significant contributions through their on-the-ground initiatives to end HIV/AIDS in the region.

THE RADIAN UNMET NEED FUND

The RADIAN ‘Unmet Need’ fund supports local initiatives across the EECA region. Initiatives included focus on prevention and care, education, community empowerment, and novel partnerships. The programme is implemented locally, working with key stakeholders and partners.

Best practices and learnings from the local implementation of RADIAN from 2020-2025, will be used as a blueprint towards creating change across the region.

Radian Model Cities

The RADIAN ‘Model Cities’ programme will provide significant funding from 2020-2025, to support interventions and drive measurable impact in key EECA cities.

The programme will support innovative approaches, including new models of care and expanded prevention and healthcare programmes, led by groups who are on-the-ground and part of the community.

THE RADIAN ‘MODEL CITIES’ PROGRAMME AIMS TO:

  • Reduce the number of new HIV infections and to increase the proportion of people living with HIV who know their status, are in care and have an undetectable viral load
  • Improve wellbeing and reduce stigma towards people living with and at risk of HIV
  • Build on existing systems to provide HIV services more effectively for key populations 

The first RADIAN ‘Model City’ is Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city.

The RADIAN ‘Model Cities’ programme in Almaty is supporting a group of local organisations to develop a cost-effective and scalable model to help Almaty control its HIV epidemic and ensure that people in the city, in particular from the most at-risk groups, can access stigma-free prevention, testing, and care.

Almaty, Kazakhstan

  • In Almaty city, Kazakhstan, there are currently approximately 5,200 people living with HIV2

  • 1 out of 6 people living with HIV in Kazakhstan live in Almaty city2

  • The HIV prevalence rate in the city is nearly double the national rate3

Almaty, Awareness and Attitudes

  • Nearly two-thirds (65%) of those living in Almaty indicated that if they were single, they would be uncomfortable dating someone living with HIV4

  • 38% of those living in Almaty were uncomfortable working with someone living with HIV4

Radian Stories and Events

See the latest RADIAN stories from our Changemakers, programme news and events

Applications for both the ‘Model Cities’ programme and ‘Unmet Need’ fund are now closed.

For more information contact us: radian@eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org.

Together we can create change in EECA

About RADIAN

RADIAN aims to meaningfully address new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in EECA, where deaths have increased by around 46% since 2010.1

The Elton John AIDS Foundation and Gilead have an established presence in EECA and extensive experience of working effectively with key local stakeholders for many years, most recently through the EECAKP fund. RADIAN is a natural evolution of this three-year commitment, which gave the organisations a greater understanding of the urgent needs in EECA and the necessary experience and strategy to respond.

Both organisations, as well as potential additional partners in the future, will work together to leave no one behind in the global effort to end the HIV epidemic.

  • EJAF 0

    The Elton John AIDS Foundation was established in 1992 and is one of the leading independent AIDS organisations in the world. The Foundation’s mission is simple: an end to the AIDS epidemic. With the mobilisation of our network of generous supporters and partners, we fund local experts across four continents to challenge discrimination, prevent infections and provide treatment as well as influencing governments to end AIDS. www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org

  • GCP Primarysmall

    Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California

References
  • 1.

    UNAIDS. (2022) AIDSinfo - UNAIDS epidemiological estimates. Available at: https://www.aidsinfo.unaids.org [Accessed September 2023]

  • 2.

    Kazakh Scientific Center of Dermatology and Infectious Diseases – 2020 Report. Available at: http://www.kncdiz.kz/files/00007836.docx [Accessed September 2023]

  • 3.

    Almaty City AIDS Centre. Available at: https://gcaids.kz/ru/ctatistika [Accessed September 2023]

  • 4.

    Censuswide. RADIAN pulse survey (sample: 1,001). January 2020. Survey commissioned by Gilead Sciences and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.