David Beckham Blogs

Hi everyone,

Well, as you might already know, I spent Monday in London with Andy Murray and Denise Lewis helping to launch the charity Malaria No More, which I am proud to be part of the Leadership Council for.

We had a really positive day, first at Wembley with Andy and then we met up with Denise and the Prime Minister at Downing Street.

The fight against Malaria is something that I am really passionate about. I saw first-hand last year just how crucial these bed nets are. I went to Sierra Leone with UNICEF and saw families devastated by malaria and other diseases.
There, one in four children die before their fifth birthday.

I visited health clinics and learnt why people die so young. And sadly I saw that it’s mainly from preventable diseases such as malaria. These heartbreaking facts made me back the new charity Malaria No More UK.

The fact is malaria is the biggest killer of children in the world, with a child dying every 30 seconds and there are around 250million cases of malaria worldwide. But what most people don’t realise is that malaria is preventable. These kids can be saved.

Malaria No More UK wants to get bed nets to everyone in Africa who needs one by the end of 2010. It’s an ambitious goal — but it can be achieved if we all get behind it.
I’ll never forget how fragile those children I met in Africa were and to know how fleeting some of their lives could be.

For just £5 you can buy a mosquito net, which will protect a mother and child, or brother and sister, for up to five years. As a dad of three myself I want to do everything possible to help these kids.

Take care,
David



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