Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project

A refresher for all our community members, new and old! The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project advances and invests in the health, education, and safety of young people living in Southern Africa to create a more equitable future for all. We support transformative, locally-led change by partnering with community-based organizations –?our Program Partners – that support young people, their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender-based violence prevention. Learn more about CTAOP and our Program Partners' work, sign up for our email newsletter, make a donation, check out our merch store, create a peer-to-peer fundraiser, and more by joining us at ctaop.org ??

Women are straight up superheroes. We are continually blown away by the extraordinary leaders driving the work of our Program Partners – by their fortitude, empathy, impact, and perseverance. (Particularly these days). We feel such gratitude for recently getting in person time with some of these heroines –?Gugu, Zinhle, Robyn, Cookie, Megan, Lerato, Lucinda, Audery, Lee-Anne, Kelly, Nanga, Leoni, Chevario, and Aatiqa –– and this #InternationalWomensDay are sending love and solidarity to ALL of the powerful women in our CTAOP community and beyond ???? #IWD2025

We are emerging from a week of deep connections with our KwaZulu-Natal based Program Partners! Our KZN #SwidlerSummit –– the first regional gathering of the year –– was last month, where team members from Dlalanathi, Community HealthCare Solutions, KZN Network on Violence Against Women, uthingo Network, and Isibani Law and Therapy Centre joined us for a week of co-learning, mindfulness, rejuvenation, and as always – refilling our collective cups. The immense value of providing this kind of safe space for our Partners is always apparent, and this Summit was no exception. One Partner noted: "There are mountains that you are carrying that you won't even get to climb." The weight of what they all hold in their communities can be immense. Being surrounded by others who can intimately relate and support one another is critical and healing. As always, My Online Therapist was a crucial partner in creating this environment, leading us on mindful walks, art-based exercises to release our creative minds, and quick tools throughout the week on how to get back into our bodies and lessen the load on our minds and hearts when returning to work and everyday life. ?? Shen Scott

Any day that starts with a sunrise hike with BRAVE Rock Girl is bound to be a fantastic day ?? We were so pumped to catch up with CTAOP Program Partner BRAVE, which is newly fully youth-led. The organization was founded in 2011 by a group of 10-year-old girls who wanted to create a safe space in their home of Manenberg. Its three Senior Leaders – Lee-Anne, Kelly, and Audery – have been with BRAVE from the start and are now stepping into Officer level roles. Their energy, commitment, and ideas for this next chapter are infectious and inspiring. BRAVE's very first initiative in 2011 was to create Safe Spaces around Cape Town, starting with these vibrant mosaic benches which provide not only a physical place of refuge, but also a phone number for women and girls to call for support and resources (along with BRAVE's website for those who want to support or learn more!). This one sits at the bottom of Lion's Head mountain –– there are now over 70 of these around the city. It's been such a joy supporting and partnering with BRAVE; with these three at the helm, we can't wait to see where this girl-led team take things next ??

Last week in Cape Town, the CTAOP team was thrilled to spend time with one of our newest Program Partners and we are very excited to introduce them to you all: Meet Vaul Institute! Vaul Institute was founded by Leoni Wainright in 2024 –– but we've worked alongside Leoni and have built a deep, trusting relationship together over the past decade. It’s been so inspiring watching Leoni step into this next chapter –– especially given how uniquely youth-focused the work at Vaul Institute is. Youth-led and youth inspired, Vaul Institute works across 3 communities in Cape Town, running sexual reproductive health and rights education, life skills, gender based violence prevention and well being awareness with beneficiaries during Life Orientation (LO) classes and empowerment hubs where the students can engage and learn in a safe environment, with the aim of empowering youth to embrace a future where the potential is limitless and where dreams have no bounds. To give an idea for how desperately this work is needed – Leoni's team planned for 40 enrollments, but a staggering 277 students enrolled. One of the most unique aspects of Vaul Institute is that they prioritize youth leadership across their work. Reflective of the wide, interconnected web of our community, some of those young people are near and dear to CTAOP's heart: Several of Vaul Institute’s youth leaders are also part of CTAOP’s Scholarship and Fellowship programs ?? Learn more about Vaul Insitute: https://lnkd.in/d9S95A9N

We know these are unprecedented and uncertain times. The effects of the foreign aid freeze by the new U.S. administration are frightening. Many of the organizations CTAOP works with are trying to navigate how to help fill the critical service gaps for the youth and communities they serve. We wanted to say thank you to our incredibly committed CTAOP community for continuing to support our efforts to ensure health and safety programs remain for African youth. Now more than ever, this work is critical. CTAOP will be stepping up our support to help ensure that the organizations affected are still able to reach youth with life-saving services. This work is hope we can all invest in right now. Another source of hope we've invested in: CTAOP's recently launched Youth Leaders Fellowship (YLF) program. Over the past year, CTAOP has deepened our work with Youth Leaders, as an investment in future good. YLF provides a one-year placement for young changemakers to develop their leadership skills, get on-the-job experience and mentorship, as well as receive career guidance and wellness support. The YLF program is built on the same ethos as our Youth Leaders Scholarship (YLS) program and seeks to provide additional opportunities for young leaders who are passionate about community change. Click here to read more about YLF: https://lnkd.in/epJPP-2j

Hello CTAOP Family, I'm Busiswa Dayimani, the new grants and community specialist at CTAOP! I've spent the last decade in the philanthropy space, working in youth development and empowerment through education with a mission to create meaningful opportunities for young people to thrive. Before joining CTAOP, I worked at an organization that believes in strategic investments to drive systematic change and create pathways to meaningful opportunities—a role that deepened my passion for impactful initiatives. I love working in our compact and digitally connected team at CTAOP, where prompt strategic decision-making helps our partners respond swiftly to their needs and those of their communities. During site visits, I’m continuously inspired by how deeply our partners are embedded in their communities—a true reality check and a beacon of hope. Born and bred in Cape Town, I still proudly call it home. Outside of work, I'm challenging myself to read 10 non-fiction books this year to explore diverse perspectives and interest in the interconnectedness of the world. I'm a big fan of music—thanks to my sister's eclectic taste. I’ve also recently embraced meditation and daily journaling as ways to find peace amid the chaos. I’m passionate about advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves and believe in lifelong learning. ?? Shen Scott

The new U.S. administration's unprecedented 'stop-work order' on foreign aid, and the instability and questions surrounding the legality of these actions, has left the entire global health community reeling. Millions of people – adults, and children – living with HIV globally, whose lives depend on the medicine and services that this funding provides, are facing dangerous treatment disruptions. The scale of the disastrous impact has yet to be seen, but our friends Aidsfonds, GNP Plus, and Robert Carr Fund jumped into action, creating a survey to gather data and examples to map some of the immediate impact to share with donors to advocate for urgent action. They've already released the initial results, which are alarming–?particularly for the areas CTAOP Program Partners work in. In the initial mapping results, 74% of responding orgs are based in Eastern and Southern Africa, and 69% are already reporting treatment service interruptions. You can view the full report, here: https://lnkd.in/ez_zeYZk ?? ACTION: The survey is still live and needs partners to share what impact you have already seen or experienced in your communities so far. Fill out their survey by Monday 2/10 ?? bit.ly/3CAkDiA UNAIDS Data Portal: https://lnkd.in/gBaPGEYR

The US’s new administration's unprecedented foreign aid freeze will have?devastating?consequences on communities around the world, including those served by?CTAOP’s?Program Partners. This freeze and the lack of clarity and communication around it has stopped work supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for at least 90 days, leaving millions at risk. In sub-Saharan Africa, this would mean nearly 136,000 babies acquiring HIV, over 6.4 million children and adolescents without health services, and over 220,000 people that would lose access to their life-saving treatment. Suddenly stopping the provision of anti-retroviral drugs that must be taken daily may be a death sentence for many.?See amfAR's analysis of the impact of the stop work orders here: https://lnkd.in/eJwYmpxu We cannot allow ourselves to think this action is justifiable in any way. We will stand with our Program Partners and all incredible organizations impacted by this reckless executive order. https://lnkd.in/e2QdjhtK

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves: We're CTAOP! Founded in 2007 by Charlize Theron, CTAOP invests in and advances the health and safety of young people in Southern Africa to create a more equitable future for ALL. Our Program Partners –?locally-led, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) –?support young people, their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the prevention of gender-based violence. We believe that equitable and trust-based practices lead to the greatest potential for lasting positive change. We believe that caring for the carers allows changemakers to bring their whole, full selves to their work. And above all else, we believe that HOPE IS ALIVE through the power and potential of youth of Southern Africa. ?? Change for Balance