What does love look like when it puts boots on the ground? In this episode, Cynthia Marks is joined by two remarkable women doing exactly that: Ashlee George, Co-Executive Director of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), and Leoni Wainwright, founder of the Vaul Institute in Cape Town, South Africa — one of CTAOP's program partners. Guided by the South African philosophy of ubuntu — "I am because we are" — they share how community-led development, mentorship, and spaces of deep psychological and physical safety are breaking systemic cycles for the next generation.

Leoni takes us inside the Cape Flats, where the Vaul Institute creates safe spaces for young people to feel valued, loved, and heard — many of them carrying burdens far beyond their years. The conversation moves through the silence surrounding gender-based violence, a hopeful new chapter in HIV prevention, why caring for the caregivers matters just as much as the work itself, and Leoni's own courageous journey from hidden trauma to healing. Together with Cynthia, they connect it all back to the imprint — the weight children carry that was never theirs — and the incredible resilience of young people when someone simply makes it safe to be themselves.

This is And Now Love. Listen to your dreams and live from your heart. Please follow, rate, and share the podcast, and pass this episode along to someone who might need it.

To learn more or lend your support, visit www.ctaop.org and www.vaulinstitute.co.za.

This episode includes discussion of gender-based violence and sexual assault, shared in the spirit of healing. If you or someone you love needs support, please reach out to a trusted resource in your community.

0:00 — Welcome, Ashlee George & Leoni Wainwright

2:01 — Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are

5:06 — Two Organizations, One Mission

17:13 — Safe Spaces and Breaking the Silence

22:41 — Caring for the Caregivers

34:47 — A New Chapter in HIV Prevention

47:00 — The Imprint and Youth Resilience

51:12 — Leoni's Story and Wildest Dreams