Currently playing with the Brazilian national team in the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo says he found in soccer an escape from his poverty-stricken childhood.
Playing sports "teaches discipline, builds character, and fosters competitiveness," he said in a statement.
No one needs to convince U.S. speed skater Joey Cheek of the importance of play—and of helping children in disadvantaged regions.
Cheek surprised Winter Olympics spectators this year by donating the bonuses he received from the United States Olympic Committee for his three medal wins to Right to Play. His donation totaled U.S. $25,000, which has ballooned to some $400,000, thanks to matching gifts.
Speaking about speed skating at this morning's event, Cheek said, "I reached a point where I realized that this is kind of a silly thing to do."
"How much money had been spent on me so I could be good at skating fast in circles?"
The day before one of his Olympic races, Cheek was handed a stack of letters of encouragement from U.S. children. He was struck by "how lucky they are."
The reason they had the time and inclination to wish him well, he says, was because they have relatively stable family lives and are fortunate enough to live in a prosperous, free country.
"But a child born in one of these camps, or who moved to one of these camps—their only focus is survival," Cheek said. "But in these camps children need more than food and water."
"They need education, they need play," he said, echoing the ninemillion.org motto, "Help them play, let them learn."
Currently ninemillion.org partner Right to Play has 40 active projects in 23 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. It organizes soccer games and other sports events to bring communities together for immunization drives against measles, tuberculosis, and other preventable diseases.
Two months ago Cheek visited several of the organization's projects in impoverished areas in Zambia, Africa, and was touched by what he saw. (See Zambia maps and facts.)
"I am very fortunate," he said in an interview with National Geographic News. "I have been successful in my life and my sport because I have worked hard but also because I had all of the resources necessary for achievement."
"I believe that all kids deserve the opportunity to be their best, and that is what we, citizens of the developed world, should try and give to those born without the same opportunity."
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