The Western Union Foundation Announces its Commitment to Grants Supporting Global Education
The
Western Union Foundation has furthered its commitment to increasing
access and improving the quality of education globally through its 2013
first quarter grant commitment of more than US$1.2 million to nonprofit
non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
To address the lack of quality global education, The
Western Union Company and The Western Union Foundation have launched
a new program called Education
for Better, a three-year commitment to growing young minds
through strategic grants that focus on secondary education and
vocational training. As part of this commitment, the Western Union
Foundation pledged an average of $10,000 per day for more than 1,000
days in potential grant funding.
“The lack of universal access to quality education is a significant
problem with a very clear solution,” said Patrick Gaston, president of
the Western Union Foundation. “Through Education for Better,
we look forward to making a direct impact through our grant-making and
developing collaborations with NGOs, business partners and the public
sectors that are committed to expanding educational opportunities for
global communities.”
For 774 million people around the world, the lack of education is a
barrier to economic inclusion1. In Sub-Saharan Africa, as
many as 73 percent of students don’t attend secondary school, largely
due to cost2. And, in Europe, one in five students don’t
reach minimum skill levels to function in society3.
Western Union’s Agents are already rallying around the Education for
Better cause, matching Western Union Foundation grants to support
education in Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas. The
Western Union Foundation works closely with Western Union’s Agents
around the world to support educational goals.
To address these issues, following is a sample of the NGOs that the
foundation has committed to support in Q1 2013:
Africa: In Kenya, a grant will support KickStart,
a program that focuses on small business training for farmers to help
them learn skills to increase their income.
Asia: The Western Union Foundation will support Give2Asia
programs that focus on vocational education for low-income families in
China, India, the Philippines, and Fiji/Samoa.
Europe: A grant to the Vielfalter
Initiative will support cultural diversity education in more than
100 schools throughout Austria.
India: Through Divya
Chaya Trust, a grant will support computer literacy programs,
English training, and career counseling, helping youth from economically
weak families secure opportunities for higher education and vocational
training.
Sources: 1. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), 2. Global Campaign for Education 3. Equity and
Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and School,
OECD, 2012
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) is a leader in global payment
services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western
Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union
provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient
ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to
purchase money orders. As of March 31, 2013, the Western Union, Vigo and
Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network
of approximately 515,000 agent locations in 200 countries and
territories. In 2012, The Western Union Company completed 231 million
consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $79 billion of
principal between consumers, and 432 million business payments. For more
information, visit www.westernunion.com.
About The Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better world,
where the ability to realize dreams through economic opportunity is not
just a privilege for the few but a right for all. With the support of
The Western Union Company, its employees, Agents, and business partners,
The Western Union Foundation works to realize this vision by supporting
education and disaster relief efforts as pathways toward a better
future. Our combined social ventures efforts make life better for
individuals, families and communities around the world. Since its
inception, The Western Union Foundation has committed more than $86.9
million in grants and other giving to more than 2,627 nongovernmental
organizations in more than 130 countries and territories. To learn more,
visit www.westernunionfoundation.org.
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