David Beckham: Charity Work & Causes

Among his many philanthropic interests, soccer superstar David Beckham is a founding member of the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council, and a supporter of Help for Heroes, a charity aimed at helping injured service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

His own charity, the Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust, provides wheelchairs to children in need, and his focus on helping children has led to his appointment as a UNICEF Ambassador.

In this role for the international charity, Beckham’s focal point is UNICEF’s Unite Against AIDS Campaign. He traveled to Sierra Leone in January, 2007 with the organization, and following the visit he commented on his experiences there:

“We can’t turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the developing world mostly from causes that are preventable.

“In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before reaching their fifth birthday – it’s shocking and tragic especially when the solutions are simple – things like vaccinations against measles or using a mosquito net to reduce the chance of getting malaria. Saving these children’s lives is a top priority for UNICEF and as an ambassador I hope I can help to draw attention to this issue across the world.”

Beckham helped raise $185,500 for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) by auctioning off two tickets to the World Cup party on eBay. He was entered into NSPCC’s Hall of Fame in 2004.

In March, 2008, Beckham visited Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai to visit children with leukemia.