Recently David Beckham visited Nepal to meet children who have been displaced by the earthquake at a temporary school in Kathmandu. Following the devastating event which took place in April this year, tens of thousands of classrooms were destroyed. Since the terrible event, UNICEF has worked hard to support the establishment of temporary schools in Nepal.
“I’m here to shine a light on how Unicef helps children recover after a disaster hits. Unicef has built schools like this one to make sure a generation of children affected by the earthquake don’t miss out on their education. Children who’ve lost parents and friends, or seen their homes destroyed, now have somewhere to learn, play and talk about what happened to them. They can be kids again.” David said.
Children losing out on schooling
When a natural disaster such as an earthquake prevents children from attending school for an extended period of time, many children just drop out of education completely. Temporary schools such as the once recently visited by David Beckham can work to get children back into the classroom much faster.
UNICEF working hard to take care of children
It’s been six months since the earthquake and UNICEF has managed to immunise as many as 50,000 children against preventable diseases such as polio, measles and rubella. UNICEF has also established several temporary hospitals to replace those that were destroyed. The organisation has also helped to set up check points along Nepal’s borders and has trained staff to spot children who are vulnerable and in danger of being trafficked.
Beckham has worked hard for UNICEF
David Beckham’s Nepal visit was part of a BBC documentary which chronicles his journey to play seven games on all seven of the world’s continents. As part of his commitment to UNICEF, David Beckham made an emotional return to Old Trafford earlier this month where he captained a team from the UK and Ireland against a rest of the world team lead by Zinedine Zidane. The Match for Children raised both awareness and lots of money for David’s UNICEF Fund.
