|
April 3, 2008 Western Union Foundation Creates Global Economic
Opportunity Through Targeted Philanthropy BUSINESS WIRE
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)----The Western Union Foundation today
announced nearly 60 new grants under the Western Union Our World, Our
Family(sm) Program. Totaling more than $1.5 million, the contributions will
aid diverse causes; from providing humanitarian aid and assistance for
Kenyans impacted by post-election violence to supporting after-school
programs in writing and civic engagement for inner-city youth in Denver,
Colorado. However, one key theme runs through many of the projects supported
by the Foundation in this grant cycle: creating economic opportunity at
home, regardless of where home might be.
Western Union's Our World, Our Family(sm) initiative is framed around four
pillars or focus areas: Our World Gives; Our World Learns; Our World Strives
and Our World Speaks. Each pillar is given equal attention and is designed
to address the critical needs and challenges of the world's migrant
population. Our World Strives seeks to provide support in the areas of
entrepreneurship and personal finance and to increase opportunity for many
migrants in their home countries or wherever they are in the world, helping
to make migration a choice rather than a necessity.
"Around the world, millions of people are forced to leave their homes and
their families in search of greater economic opportunity," said Luella
Chavez D'Angelo, president, the Western Union Foundation. "Every day,
Western Union hears from these people, and sees first-hand the hardships
they face. Through the Western Union Our World, Our Family(sm) program and
the Our World Strives pillar, we hope to honor these sacrifices by creating
opportunities in the home countries of these immigrants so that, perhaps,
the next generation will see migration as only one of many solutions
available to them as they strive to improve the fortunes of themselves and
those they love."
In the Pacific Islands, a grant to the Foundation for Development
Cooperation will provide poor, remittance-receiving households with access
to financial information that will help them to optimize the hard-earned
funds sent by their loved ones. Designed to increase financial literacy and
create long-term economic opportunity and stability, the materials will be
translated into five local languages, including Samoan, Tongan, Hindi, Tetun
and the native Fijian dialect.
In Ghana, a grant to the All Trust Foundation will help train teenage
mothers to set up their own businesses and generate income that will support
themselves and their families. By helping to reduce the unemployment rate
and building opportunity for disadvantaged youth, the program will create a
sense of hope for its participants and a focus on the future.
In India, contributions to Humana People to People and Save the Children
will provide vocational training for underprivileged women and youth. The
Humana People to People project will support workforce preparation for
approximately 2,000 youths from the poorest 15 percent of the country's
population. Participants will receive training in life skills development,
job-related technical skills, workplace competencies, work readiness
preparation, job shadowing and apprenticeship. The Save the Children India
project will provide adolescent girls with an empowerment model that
combines life skills, literacy and vocational training. Ultimately, the
organization's goal is to help young women to "stand on their feet by
providing financial and economic independence thus enabling them to become
contributing members to society."
In Mexico, World Vision's Frontera Norte Project is partnering with
residents along the U.S./Mexico border to create a network of healthy,
productive communities. Its goal is to increase local capacities through
improving the employment skills and entrepreneurial abilities of more than
500 youths and heads of households. The project is targeted at single
mothers, teenagers, the unemployed and the disabled and at least 65 percent
of the participants will be women.
In the United States, grants to the African Business Alliance in Georgia and
the Immigration Development Center in North Dakota will provide training in
economic development and entrepreneurship. The African Business Alliance's
program uses specially designed courses to teach participants the skills
needed to foster economic growth and job creation projects in their home
communities back in Africa. The Immigrant Development Center's Micro
Enterprise project will provide these businesses with access to shared
technology, resources, space and technical assistance, with the ultimate
goal of developing an International Market Plaza that will "enhance the
local retail market with goods and services from local entrepreneurs while
providing these entrepreneurs with an opportunity to bring their business
ideas to the mainstream economy."
These are just a few of the many worthy projects supported by The Western
Union Our World, Our Family(sm) program. For more information on Our World,
Our Family(sm) or on individual grants, please visit the Foundation's
Website at www.westernunion.com/foundation.
About the Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation began in 2000 as a philanthropic organization
to facilitate charitable giving programs worldwide. Through the donations of
The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), its employees and Agents, the
Foundation helps to fund programs that enhance the quality of life for those
most in need around the world. Since 2001, the Western Union Foundation, in
collaboration with Western Union Agents and employees, has granted nearly
$45 million to more than 1,500 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 70
countries around the globe to support humanitarian projects. In addition,
the Foundation has supported more than 50 disaster-relief operations and has
funded education and human services programs. For more information, visit
www.westernunion.com/foundation.
WU-G
The Western Union CompanySherry Johnson, 720-941-0905Sherry.l.johnson@westernunion.com |
|
|
