A 21-year-old South African HIV activist, Ibanomonde Ngema, will take over the global Instagram account of Academy Award-winner and UN Messenger of Peace, Charlize Theron, on World AIDS Day (1 December) to bring awareness to the first-hand experiences of young people living with HIV. Nomonde, as her friends call her, was born with HIV and has dedicated her advocacy work to dispelling myths and reducing stigma around HIV.
Theron is a longstanding leader in advocating for young people and tackling the systemic inequalities that drive HIV infections among young women and girls, using her voice and platform to uplift the voices of youth alongside the work of her foundation in Southern Africa.
Founded in 2007, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) invests in and advances the health and safety of young people in Southern Africa to create a more equitable future for all. CTAOP supports local solutions by providing long-term, flexible funding and capacity strengthening to community-based organizations that address the social and structural drivers of health and gender inequality. These grantee partners work at the intersection of youth and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and help prevent and protect against gender-based violence.
To date, CTAOP-supported programs have reached over 4.1 million youth in Southern Africa in multifaceted ways, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, prevention of gender-based violence, access to adolescent-friendly health services, psychosocial support, peer counseling, intergenerational dialogues, and community-network building.
UNAIDS' new report, Take the rights path to end AIDS , highlights how rights violations exacerbate the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV. In 2023, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Theron and CTAOP are also urging world leaders to protect human rights in the fight to end AIDS.
"Ending AIDS is within reach -- only if we completely dismantle harmful patterns of stigma and discrimination through laws, policies, and practices that protect people living with HIV. That's why this World AIDS Day, in partnership with UNAIDS and my organization -Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project- I'm handing over my Instagram to an incredible young activist Nomonde Ngema, who will share her inspiring story." said Theron.
"I have always loved watching Charlize Theron on the big screen and have long been inspired by her using her influence to help people around the world, especially in our home country of South Africa. Charlize and CTAOP are true partners, and I will forever be grateful for their solidarity," said Nomonde.
