Sourced From: http://ir.westernunion.com/
Mercy Corps, the Western Union Company and the Western Union Foundation have announced to continue their association and ongoing work on market-driven solution to social challenges. Mercy Corps has also received a $500,000 contribution from the Western Union Foundation that will be used to aid social entrepreneurs willing to create new jobs for young people. The funds will also be used for the financial literacy programs to help workers convert wages to wealth.
Mercy Corps was selected by Western Union as a strategic philanthropic partner in 2007 from a slate of hundreds of exceptional non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Since then, Mercy Corps has played an important role in Western Union’s five-year, $50 million Our World, Our Family program. Together, Western Union, its Foundation and Mercy Corps have positively impacted the lives of more than 685,000 people in 13 countries since 2007.
Mercy Corps and Western Union have plans to build upon existing programs in China, Haiti and Indonesia in 2011 and have goals to reach an additional 10,000 beneficiaries through programs in Kenya, Japan, Pakistan and the Americas.
Highlights of the 2011 program will include:
China: taking financial education programs for migrant women and youth to scale by engaging local NGOs that have the human resource capacity and funding to continue the roll-out of the program, which was initiated by Mercy Corps and the Western Union Foundation in 2009
Haiti: direct grants to continue training and funding of small businesses and a dollar-for-dollar match of consumer gifts to Mercy Corps for a total fund raising goal of $1 million by year-end 2011
Indonesia: creation of businesses and jobs among Indonesia’s urban poor
Kenya: development of new financial literacy programs for Kenya’s youth
Pakistan: assist with the recovery of small businesses destroyed by flooding through micro-grants
Americas: support of the MicroMentor program, which connects entrepreneurs in the Americas with executives who offer fee-free business guidance and provides other short-term assistance for struggling businesses
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps helps people turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. Driven by local needs, the program of Mercy Corps provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives.
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.
About the Western Union Foundation
Through Western Union’s Our World, Our Family(R) signature program, the Western Union Foundation supports initiatives to empower people through access to economic opportunity.
