By Tim Saunders on
Charlize Theron has blogged in the Huffington Post about the possibility of change in South Africa.
“The first time I ever visited the Umkhanyakude district in South Africa was to celebrate the launch of the initial Mpilonhle mobile health unit, which my charity — the Charlize Theron African Outreach Project — helped to fund," wrote the UN Messenger of Peace. "Mpilonhle is an organization that provides innovative health and education programs to this rural district’s schools and communities. Run by Dr. Michael Bennish, Mpilonhle uses mobile health units to treat individuals’ medical, psychological, and sociological needs. This care would not otherwise be available in these areas due to the extreme level of poverty.
“The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project develops awareness, generates supporting funds, and participates in the enhancement of Mpilonhle’s medical units and mobile computer labs. The beauty of the units is that they bring resources to communities that have no means of transportation and are miles away from health services. Mpilonhle’s computer labs provide basic computer literacy to students and community members. Through the work CTAOP and Mpilonhle are doing together, many local individuals, especially children, are seeing doctors and experiencing technology for the very first time.”
The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project was created by Charlize Theron, in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Their goal is to create a safer, healthier and better life for impoverished children and their families in South Africa, especially those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
“Every time I return to South Africa, I can see and feel the difference in the students we serve. This past December, I went back down to visit the students and their villages in the Umkhanyakude district. Traveling with the mobile health units, I went from school to school expressing our support and experiencing what the organization has begun to do for communities. Meeting with local leaders, we worked together to develop new ways to better serve the population in the district.”
Theron created the Charlize Theron African Outreach Project in 2007 and partnered with Oprah's Angel Network to assist the charity Mpilonhle in bringing education, free condoms, HIV testing and treatment to children in Umkhanyakude District in the KwaZulu-Natal Province via a mobile health and computer clinic.
“I am excited for the continued service we are providing to the residents of South Africa. Sometimes it seems like change cannot happen, but if you can commit yourself to a cause and to the people, change is absolutely possible.”
You can read Charlize’s entire blog and watch a video of her trip at the Huffington Post.
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