Charlize Theron’s Empowering Approach to Ending AIDS by 2030
By: Susan Peters
We all know Charlize Theron.
She’s fierce.
Warner Bros
She’s a champion.
And she stands up for what she believes in.
One thing she really cares about? HIV. And the way it is ravaging her home country of South Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly three quarters of youth living with HIV, so Charlize has a goal.
She fully intends to see the disease gone forever. By 2030 to be exact.
In 2007, she started the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) to help get youth proper HIV education.
She believes that education changes attitudes, which affects behavior.
CTAOP partners with grassroots organizations in South Africa that empower youth to take control of their health.
They approach taboo topics that are commonly swept under the rug, creating a safe environment for kids to ask questions.
“There was a lack of communication and comfortable talk about HIV that was missing, and that was a huge part of causing the stigma in South Africa.” AFP News
Because an AIDS free generation is not something that we can create, it will happen through ~empowerment~.
She hopes that when her son is old enough to ask questions about AIDS, she’ll be able to speak in past tense.
She wants to be able to say:
But it’s up to us to get it done.
You keep spreading the word, Charlize, and we’ll keep listening.
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