Many famous stars have dedicated themselves as volunteers and humanitarians to change our world for the better. So, here we bring you the first incredible story of a notable personality to inspire you with his life story and be an inspiring volunteer and humanitarian.

The one athlete who is not only a fantastic player but also maybe the most well-known sports icon outside of football is David Beckham. He is a football legend, a fashion model, and a decent person, who comes from a modest background, and is significant in the football world. The person he is today is because of his commitment, self-control, goal-oriented and love for his passion.

David has accomplished a lot in his life and still maintains a humble and grounded demeanour. Being a football player, David Beckham has a wide range of charitable interests. He supports Help for Heroes, a nonprofit organization that assists injured service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to providing wheelchairs to children in need through his charity, the Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust, his dedication to assisting children has earned him the position of UNICEF Ambassador. David Beckham has contributed to numerous charities, including the African Wildlife Foundation, FC Harlem Help for Heroes Malaria, CHOC Children’s Comic Relief, and John AIDS Foundation.

Being one of the former members of the England National Football Team and Manchester United star Beckham is one of the most admired athletes in the world. Beckham, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, has been fighting for the rights of illiterate girls worldwide. He has also backed an initiative to supply computers to underprivileged kids during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

UNICEF and David created 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund in February 2015, honouring his tenth year. The 7 Fund has aided in changing the lives of vulnerable kids in its first three years of operation. It is an innovative collaboration to assist children, particularly girls, to overcome obstacles such as bullying, violence, child marriage, and missed educational opportunities. In 2018, David visited Indonesia to meet kids who had been the victims of bullying and violence in the classroom and to learn more about how the 7 Fund supports anti-bullying initiatives in schools. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2019, David remembers his childhood and urges world leaders to follow their word so that future generations of kids can prosper. This year (2022), he came back as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador at Soccer Aid for UNICEF, a British charitable event, to raise money to uplift the lives of children around the world and for UNICEF’s works.

The 7 Fund addresses problems including bullying, violence, child marriage, and missed schooling to empower vulnerable children in countries worldwide, including Indonesia, Nepal, Uganda, and El Salvador. Further, the fund was able to significantly improve children’s lives during the first three years of its existence.

Child marriages in Nepal.

Nepal has one of the highest rates of child marriage in Asia, according to the 7 Fund. Young married girls frequently drop out of school, leaving them uninformed and unable to end poverty cycles. By ensuring that girls have the assistance needed to remain in school or return to school to reach their full potential, the 7 Fund combats child marriage in Nepal. In addition to supporting the provision of mental health care for young kids, the charity supports “building life skills” for both boys and girls. Most importantly, the 7 Fund informs parents and the public about the negative effects of child marriage to lower its prevalence.

The Rashida Khatun Story

The 7 Fund’s website features the motivational tale of Rashida Khatun, a 14-year-old Nepalese girl. In Khatun’s village, child marriage is widespread. Due to her family’s financial situation, she was given into marriage and was the last in line after her four older sisters, who “married as teenagers.” When Khatun, with her father’s approval, enrolled in a “UNICEF-supported non-formal education program for females,” her entire world was transformed. Females’ Access to Education (GATE) was a nine-month initiative that aimed to empower “out-of-school adolescent girls by providing them with fundamental numeracy and literacy education and practical life skills.” Khatun learned about the risks of child marriage through the GATE program and decided against it. In the end, Khatun and a GATE class facilitator were able to persuade her parents to call off the wedding, which allowed her to continue pursuing the education that would one day help her escape poverty.

The case of Khatun serves as a reminder of the significance of the 7 Fund’s work to stop child marriage in Nepal. Ten thousand Nepali girls are currently enrolled in the “return to school” program.

Malnutrition Control in Papua New Guinea

One out of every thirteen children in Papua New Guinea dies before the age of five, mostly because of starvation. Through life-saving initiatives, the 7 Fund seeks to lower child malnutrition in Papua New Guinea. “I am extremely proud to be here in Papua New Guinea to observe for the first time how the money raised is helping to keep children healthy and safe, by giving life-saving therapeutic food for children suffering from malnutrition,” Beckham said in a 2015 UNICEF press release.

Indonesian Bullying Prevention

The 7 Fund recognizes that bullying’s aftereffects can last a person their entire life. Bullying affects one in five Indonesian youngsters between the ages of 13 and 15. It is crucial to address the problem because it lowers self-esteem and has a detrimental effect on mental health. With an emphasis on “training teachers and assisting schools put safeguarding plans in place, helping to reduce rates of school dropout and child marriage and establishing a safer school environment to enable children to thrive,” The 7 Fund is sponsoring anti-bullying activities in Indonesian schools. As a result of these initiatives, bullying incidents have decreased by about a third.

Prioritizing Girls’ education in Uganda.

Due to bullying at school and social pressure to stay at home and take care of the family, approximately 60% of Ugandan girls are unable to enrol in secondary education. The 7 Fund is funding “teacher training and building protective systems to track and report an assault to make sure that girls stay in school or return to it. The Fund is also putting a lot of effort into teaching communities and parents about the long-term advantages of girls’ education for both the girls and their families. One excellent example of how to use a famous platform to change the world is Beckham’s 7 Fund. In general, the 7 Fund safeguards children and gives them the skills and resources they need to escape poverty.

Thus, this phenomenal soccer player is truly an inspiration to youth to step forward and be the change the world desperately needs today. David Beckham is a true volunteer and a great inspiration to all the children in the world, and we, the Rotaractors, have immense lessons to learn from this noteworthy personality. “Let your light shine as an inspiration to humanity and BE THE REASON someone believes in the goodness of people.”

Written by: Rtr. Geethma Lelwala

Graphic Design by: Rtr. Supun Tharaka