David Beckham and Andy Murray were at Wembley on Monday to fight Malaria.
David Beckham and Andy Murray took centre stage at Wembley Stadium on Monday for a sporting first to mark the launch of Malaria No More UK – a not-for-profit organisation, committed to ending suffering and death caused by malaria, a preventable disease.
Beckham and Murray join Olympic Gold Medallist, Denise Lewis, as founding members of the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council and played against one another at the Wembley for a-once-in-a-lifetime sporting moment.
This unique Wembley event saw Beckham unveil his tennis talent and Murray flex his football skills to highlight one of the first goals for Malaria No More UK - to ensure all those at risk of malaria in Africa have access to a bed net by the end of 2010.
Malaria threatens half of the world’s population and those most vulnerable are pregnant women and children. In Africa, Malaria kills one child every 30 seconds; it kills more children under five than any other single disease.
But malaria is preventable and treatable. One of the most effective means of stopping suffering and death from malaria is to invest in preventative measures now. Blanketing Africa with mosquito nets is one of the most simple and effective ways to help prevent the spread of malaria and yield life-saving results.
In recent years countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia and Eritrea have successfully used bed nets, insecticides and access to medicines to cut malaria deaths by over 50%.
“It’s truly incredible to think we can stop this killer disease forever and it’s such a simple ask,” says David Beckham. "For less than the cost of a football you can protect a family from dying. I urge the UK public to get behind the Malaria No More UK campaign to buy a net, save a life and make malaria no more.”
Andy Murray said: “This is the first charity I’ve been involved with in this capacity and it was an easy decision. Malaria is completely preventable and stoppable but yet it still kills more children in Africa than any other single disease. We can radically change this, it is a huge opportunity and I’m urging the UK public to buy a net, help save a life and get behind Malaria No More UK, a truly world-changing and life-saving initiative.”
For more information visit
www.malarianomore.org.uk
