The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project envisions a more equitable future where ALL young people can
stay healthy and safe.
Advancing the health, education, and safety of young people in Africa creates a more equitable future for us ALL.
CTAOP supports and partners with community-based organizations and youth on the front lines of change, focusing on the key pillars of sexual and reproductive health and rights (including HIV work), and the prevention of gender-based violence. The long-term partnerships CTAOP develops are based on mutual respect and trust. This approach plays an integral role in the work, as does the power of sharing stories, convening and a commitment to continuous learning. Since those closest to the issues are the ones who are best suited to create transformative and sustainable change, CTAOP supports these powerful leaders and catalysts, our Program Partners.
CTAOP was created in 2007 by Charlize Theron, Academy Award®-winning actor and UN Messenger of Peace, with the hope of making a difference in the lives of young people, and to help stop the spread of HIV in her home country of South Africa, which had — and still has — the largest population of people living with HIV in the world. Although the geographic scope of CTAOP has expanded to encompass Southern Africa, South Africa has remained the primary area of focus. Through the years of working with our incredible Program Partners on the ground, we have learned that complex challenges do not exist in vacuums, and that transformative, sustainable change comes from locally-led solutions within the communities themselves.
To date, programs supported by CTAOP have reached over 3.3 million youth.
To learn more about CTAOP, visit our website. For those interested in how to become a Program Partner, please check our FAQ page.