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 💛 🎥 by the best @changeforbalance

🧑🏽‍🏫 For today's FAQ session: How to donate to CTAOP or create a fundraiser right here on Instagram! Because we at CTAOP have a fiscal sponsor (@eifoundation ), donating to us via Facebook or Instagram means just a few additional hoops to jump through. So, we thought we'd lay it all out for ya in a post that you can *SAVE* and refer back to if and when the time comes that you want to donate or create a fundraiser (maybe in honor of your birthday, or World AIDS Day, or International Women's Day... you get the gist ;) The two ways to fundraise for CTAOP on Instagram: 1. Create a post on your feed | Click the "+" button on the top right of your profile, and select "Fundraiser" from the drop down. Search and select "Entertainment Industry Foundation" (@eifoundation ), and change the fundraiser's name to include CTAOP. Add a photo, share what supporting CTAOP means to you in your caption, set a goal, and publish! 2. Create a Story using the donation sticker | Start building your story by choosing a photo or image to use, or select the text only option by clicking "Create". Head to the donation sticker, search and select "Entertainment Industry Foundation" (@eifoundation ), change the fundraiser's title to include CTAOP, set a goal, and share! We're so grateful for your support 💛

🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠 We've seen a serious uptick in CTAOP/ Charlize Theron scammer questions from you all in the past month, so it seemed like it was about time for a refresher: 🙅🏼‍♀️ No, you're not talking to @charlizeafrica on [insert Instagram, Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal, Google Chat, literally ANY digital communications platform]! 🙅🏾 No, we ONLY use our and @charlizeafrica ’s verified socials (look for the blue checkmark on FB and IG, on Twitter we are @ctaop and @charlizeafrica ) and *no other accounts, no exceptions!* 🙅🏽‍♀️ No, no one from CTAOP or Charlize Theron's management team is contacting you soliciting your info or donations! We appreciate you. We love you. Please be safe out there, be discerning, ***NEVER*** give your personal or financial info to anyone claiming to be CTAOP or CT (or any other celebrity for that matter!) unless it's from verified channels, and continue to refer to our pinned post + FAQ highlight reel here on Instagram should you have questions. It's deeply unfortunate how rampant scammers and imposters are online –– this is an issue that all public facing individuals and brands face, and unfortunately there's nothing we can sweepingly do to handle it as each platform has its own protocol! So as you see these accounts, please help us by reporting them to each respective platform, and do not engage.

Are you as obsessed with this genius reimagining of @Ciara ’s iconic jam “1, 2 Step” as we are??? We LOVE to see celebrities use their platforms and voices to elevate conversations about sexual and reproductive health. Ciara, you’re a queen. #12PrEP

Last month, our team attended the @skoll.foundation World Forum for the first time––and it certainly lived up to the hype. We were told Skoll is a place for serendipity, inspiration and action, and it proved true. Unexpected connections surfaced, familiar faces appeared on Oxford’s small streets, and new relationships sparked across Forum sessions and social gatherings. The top 5 themes that emerged from the week: 💸 Navigating a new funding reality: The old model of global development funding is gone, and there were rich discussions around what comes next. From social enterprise creation to merging grantmaking entities, de-siloing funding to collective action and reporting... “integration” was a word we heard constantly, alongside the honest challenges of making coordination work for lasting impact. 🫱🏽‍🫲🏿 Trust, relationships, and rigorous evaluation: A consistent call to center trust and relationships, while still collecting data and evaluating with rigor. Examples showed that rigorous evaluation does not have to be sacrificed when local communities lead, and that open data tools can greatly support collecting the right data. 🌍 Africa leading: With the U.S. and other Global North countries withdrawing funding, many African leaders spoke powerfully about seizing this moment as an opportunity — to demonstrate what they can achieve independently and chart their own development paths. 🤖 AI for everyone: AI continues to be inescapable and was a recurring topic across sessions, with conversations focused on safety and security, equitable access, and the critical challenge of making AI tools work for the communities they were not originally designed for. 🫴🏽 Local ownership and sovereign systems: Conversations highlighted the need for governments and communities controlling their own infrastructure, and the desire for local leaders to have the agency to build systems designed to last within their unique socio-political environments. We walked away feeling inspired and grounded in the knowledge that there is such a strong community of changemakers. Hope truly is Alive and in Action 💥 #SkollWorldForum #SkollWF

2025 was a 🎢 of a year. Global aid cuts devastated the global health space, with many of our Program Partners feeling the strain directly. CTAOP stepped in where we could to fill in the gaps, ultimately funding 25 community-based organizations whose programs reached over three quarters of a million young people. By exploring our 2025 impact report, you’ll learn many many of their stories––all of which make clear that even in the most constrained circumstances, something endures: the determination of Partners who keep showing up, the creativity of communities solving problems with what they have, and the quiet courage of individuals whose lives shifted in ways that will ripple forward. That is not just cause for hope — it is a call to act on it. CTAOP remains committed to walking alongside the people and organizations making this possible, and doing more to resource, protect, and amplify what they’ve built. Take a dive back into 2025 with us: charlizeafricaoutreach.org/making-an-impact (link in bio) #HopeIsAlive #HopeInAction

Last week, our founder @charlizeafrica sat with @nytimes for an hour-long conversation that covered so much –– including some of the life experiences that drove Charlize to create CTAOP. She recalled the violence of growing up during apartheid, memories of the rise of HIV and AIDS, and the way her mom showed up to help care for community members in need. In a follow up segment, Charlize got to expand on how being South African has shaped her, and what it means to her to be from this beautiful, resilient place. “They’ve been through all this hardship, but they have literally come out on the other side with hope. And when I go there, that’s the most incredible thing to see.” Watch the full conversation: youtube.com/watch?v=ndYSsk-P8bQ #HopeIsAlive #HopeInAction

Happy #FreedomDay, South Africa 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦 This holiday encompasses not only the first post-apartheid elections to happen in South Africa back in 1994, but everything a free democracy ushered in –– including access to education. The repercussions of apartheid are still felt in daily life across South Africa, reflected in lingering inequality for Black South Africans, but many young people – like our YL Scholars! – are living proof of what is possible when someone is given the tools and ongoing support they need to thrive. Today, with pride, we are celebrating four – count ‘em, FOUR! – recent grads among our Scholarship recipients: 🔶 Siphosihle who received their Honours in Gender and Transformation from the African Feminist Department at @university_of_cape_town 🔷 Rick who received their Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) specializing in Accounting at @university_of_cape_town 🔶 Onesimo who finished her degree in Medical Laboratory Science from @wearecput - Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) 🔷 Shadrack who finished his Bachelor of Education (Senior and FET Phase) at @ufsweb - University of the Free State (UFS) 🎓 CONGRATULATIONS! 🎓

This #EarthDay, we’re throwing it back to when Lucinda Evans, founder of CTAOP Program Partner @philisaabafazibethu (PAB), was highlighted in @ms_magazine by V @eveensler for her work as South Africa’s initiator and coordinator of @onebillionrisingsa –– and specifically, the ways in which her work recognizes the intersection of violence against women and destruction of the earth. PAB’s organic vegetable garden, which was recently highlighted in our @DiorBeauty #InternationalWomensDay campaign, is harvested every four weeks, sustaining their kitchen and feeding their community. The garden and community feeding scheme are an opportunity to educate their clients, children and young people about gardening, cooking and healthy living, providing further life skills. In addition to their vegetable garden, PAB’s Mandala Stone Garden serves as healing space where people can come to relax and breathe, deepening the connection between mental and physical wellness and connection to the earth 🌍

Storytelling is in CTAOP’s blood –– not only because of who our founder is, but because we utilize it to drive eyes and ears to our Program Partners’ work, to amplify their voices, to shift narratives around stigma and trust-based philanthropy, and beyond. This year, we decided to push our video content further by submitting to @thewebbyawards , and we’re honored to share that our 10th Anniversary Mini-Documentary from 2017 was named an Honoree for video & film in the “Public Service & Activism” category! We’ve accomplished and grown so much in the past 9 years, and as we approach our 20th anniversary next year, this only fuels our drive to continue telling the story of CTAOP, and what we’re building –– together. Watch: /watch?v=GWVJod3uYoE #Webbys

🔔 New Program Partner alert! 🔔 We are thrilled to introduce the CTAOP community to one of our newest Program Partners: SuperMoms! Based in rural Nkomazi in the province of Mpumalanga, SuperMoms is a holistic maternal wellness initiative designed to support moms and moms-to-be aged 15–30 years old. They support women during pregnancy and early motherhood by promoting physical health, mental well-being, and informed decision-making, with the ultimate goal of building confident, resilient mothers who are equipped with the resources and support needed to raise healthy children and navigate motherhood successfully. Like all of our Partners, SuperMoms sees the young women they work with as whole people –– which means supporting them from all angles. From nutrition education, monthly food packs, and essential supplements; to psycho-education, emotional support, and mental health activities; to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education as well as HIV and STI prevention and healthcare, SuperMoms has cemented themselves as the go-to resource for expecting moms in the community. Learn more: supermoms.vercel.app

The recipients of CTAOP’s Youth Leaders Scholarship create a ripple effect of impact within their communities. YL Scholar Lungile’s Changemaker Project expanded the dreams and visions of the young people of KZN around what careers are possible for them, enabling them – in her words – to “take ownership of their futures”. Lungile hosted a Career Expo in Pietermaritzburg: 110 learners from six under-resourced high schools around Edendale had the opportunity to engage with professionals from a wide array of sectors – law, chemistry, mathematics, accounting, social development, and entrepreneurship – through interactive presentations, motivational talks, and Q+A sessions. Lungile reflected: “This project deepened my belief in the importance of youth-led initiatives. I learned to manage logistical challenges under pressure, to speak with authority in professional spaces, and most importantly to listen deeply to the hopes, dreams, and fears of the young people we serve.”