When David Beckham launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund in February 2015, he set out to help protect vulnerable children and give them a better chance of reaching their potential. The initiative went on to support work addressing violence, bullying, child marriage and barriers to education, particularly among girls. Its projects in Nepal, Indonesia, Uganda and El Salvador worked with schools, families, communities and governments to strengthen child protection and improve access to education. UNICEF UK’s 2024 annual report described that year as the final year for the fund’s then-current projects. The programme’s reported results offer a picture of what the initiative achieved, while also raising an important question: whether the systems and services strengthened through the projects can sustain those gains after the funded work ends. Its legacy will depend on whether the schools, services and community networks it strengthened can keep protecting children and sustaining access to education long after the funded projects have formally concluded.
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