Actress Charlize Theron dreams of AIDS-free S. Africa
JOHANNESBURG: Oscarwinning Hollywood actress Charlize Theron hopes to create an AIDS-free generation in her home country South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world.
The star who is the founder of Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project which supports community-based HIV programs said the country’s “ridiculously large” HIV burden was hard to ignore and that prompted her awareness from an early age.
Her project has partnered with other leading organizations fighting the pandemic in the country of her birth.
“We have to be able to put our foot down and say enough is enough, let us end this,” she told AFP during her visit to the country.
“We just need the resources,” she added.
Through her support of Choma Dreams Cafe, a place that aims to empower adolescent girls by providing them access to education, life skills and mentorship, Theron believes that HIV infections can be halted.
“My personal opinion is that we are never gonna stop AIDS by just simply treating it ... it is never going to happen,” she said.
“You cannot wait for people to become infected and think you are going to stop AIDS. You have to invest in young people before they become HIV-positive,” she said.
Around 7 million South Africans, or 19.2 percent of the population, are living with the virus and adolescent girls are at most risk of infection, according to the UN AIDS agency.
According to government, 3.4 million are receiving treatment, in what is said to be the largest rollout of life-saving drugs.