David Beckham in his role as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF recently travelled to Indonesia to meet with children that have been victims of classroom violence and bullying. David Beckham’s UNICEF Fund which is called 7 has managed to transform the lives of millions of children from all over the world. The fund has financed the vaccinations of 400,000 children in Djibouti against polio as well as delivered clean drinking water to more than 15,000 children in Burkina Faso amongst many other accomplishments.
Beckham’s 7 Fund supports programmes all over the world
The 7 Fund has just started to support UNICEF programmes in Uganda, Indonesia, El Salvador and Nepal. The challenge is to deal with bullying and violence, put an end to child marriage and prevent children from missing out on education, especially for girls so they can achieve their full potential. The 7 Fund is therefore lending its support to programmes in Indonesia which seek to empower both girls and boys to become advocates of change and speak out against any violence they experience or witness.
Violence and bullying is an important social issue in Indonesia
Violence and bullying is one of the most important issues young people in Indonesia face. More than 20 per cent of children aged between 13 and 15 have been bullied or a whopping total of 18 million children. One in three children have been physically attacked whilst at school and as the violence increases there is a corresponding rise in the risk of poor mental health of the children being bullied which results in a rising school drop-out rate.
First-hand experience
David Beckham was able to see first hand how Indonesian schools are adopting a more student focused approach by including both children who have been on the receiving end of bullying and children that have bullied others. The scheme nominates a peer group which trains members about the issue of bullying and teaches them to construct positive environments. Teachers are also trained in positive discipline techniques to ensure that classrooms remain free from violence. On his trip Mr Beckham learned that the current programme designed to prevent bullying in Indonesia has already had a positive impact on 7,000 children and that initial results suggest that bullying has fallen by nearly 30 per cent in early pilot programmes.
“The thing that strikes me most when I visit children around the world is the potential that exists in every child,” Beckham said. “Potential in every classroom, in every playground and in every home. I feel very proud to see how my 7 Fund is helping UNICEF tackle bullying and violence in schools in Indonesia, and is ultimately keeping children, especially girls, safe in their schools so they can continue their education and hope for a better future.”
