BOURNEMOUTH, United Kingdom — With a global platform that extends beyond football, David Beckham has become a prominent figure in philanthropy. Through high-profile charity events David Beckham’s advocacy and awareness campaigns, have played a role in bringing attention to global health and child welfare issues.
Goodwill Ambassador
Beckham became a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador in 2005 and has remained actively involved since. Beckham said he created his fund with UNICEF because he wanted a world where children grow up safe from violence, war, poverty, hunger and preventable disease. Ten years later, he launched the 7 Fund for UNICEF to help children around the world affected by malnutrition, HIV/AIDS and violence.
In 2005, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Beckham toured a UNICEF facility where supplies were being coordinated to help the 1.5 million children affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami. Two decades later, the Inter Miami CF Foundation and UNICEF announced a global partnership to support access to quality education programs for children in five countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Malaria Must Die Campaign
In February 2017, Beckham launched the Malaria Must Die, So Millions Can Live awareness campaign. The campaign brings together the global malaria community to raise awareness and keep the disease on the international political agenda. Indeed, by April, the campaign had reached 1 billion people and had paved the way for the Malaria Summit alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
In a campaign video, Beckham said that as a father, it breaks his heart that a child dies every two minutes from malaria, and he called on global leaders to unite to end the disease.
In April 2019, Malaria Must Die released a short film, produced by Ridley Scott Associates and using AI technology, launching a voice petition with Beckham’s call to action in nine languages to end malaria. The film was broadcast across 10 channels in 37 African countries throughout the African Cup of Nations football tournament, through partnerships with SuperSport and Nando’s.
The first phase of the Malaria Must Die campaign in 2018 reached 1.3 billion people, while the second phase reached 1.8 billion worldwide.
TogetherBand and the Global Goals
In August 2019, Beckham became an ambassador for another awareness campaign, TogetherBand by BOTTLETOP, launching 17 friendship bracelets representing each of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The campaign invites people around the world to choose the goal that matters most to them and share it with someone important to them.
Reflecting on his involvement, Beckham said he is fortunate to live in a country where his children can have a good meal, drink fresh water and look after themselves. He said he wants his children to understand that other children around the world do not have those things, and that he will continue to advocate for them.
Looking Ahead
David Beckham’s long-standing commitment to advocacy and awareness campaigns demonstrates how high-profile figures can use their global platforms to support efforts addressing global health and child welfare. Indeed, as the campaigns he supports continue to expand their reach, they offer ongoing opportunities to direct international attention toward issues affecting children in developing nations.
– Elena Ghimis
Elena is based in Bournemouth, UK and focuses on Celebs for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr