Here are three footballers who care about global poverty:
1. Lionel Messi: Argentine Footballer Lionel Messi became UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2011. Messi concentrates on areas dealing mostly with children’s rights. In Nov. of 2013, Messi held a campaign with UNICEF to celebrate his son turning 1. “Last November I received the best gift ever: the birth of my son Thiago. For his first birthday, help me to help all boys and girls have equal opportunities to live, grow, and develop”. The campaign helped raise awareness for children who are in need of life’s basic needs: food, water shelter, and love. Also, in 2007, Messi started the Leo Messi Foundation to help children gain access to health and education. This foundation assists children in Spain gain access to treatment, transportation and hospital costs.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: Portuguese Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo
donated a golden boot he had won to the Real Madrid Foundation. The Boot estimated at $2 million was auctioned off and the proceeds of the boot went to the construction of a school for children in Gaza. The Real Madrid Foundation has funded over 167 schools in 66 countries. In 2013, Ronaldo became Global Artist ambassador for Save the Children. His primary focus is on child hunger and obesity. “When I learned that 1 in 7 kids around the world go to bed hungry each night, I jumped at the chance to get involved”(Ronaldo).
3. David Beckham: English Footballer David Beckham became Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 2005. The British soccer star works regularly with the organization. Beckham has visited a shelter in Manila for children who were abandoned by their parents. Some children lived on the streets and were beggars before coming to the shelter. “UNICEF is doing great work for the children in Manila” (Beckham). Beckham is also a proud founding member of the charity Malaria No More UK in London. The charities goal is to get the death rate of malaria down to zero which is in line with the
Millennium Development Goals. The foundation focuses on much of Africa where nearly 90 percent of all Malaria cases occur.
– Amy Robinson
Sources: Save the Children, UNICEF 1, 2, 2, Wikipedia 1, 2, 3, Digital Journal
