Message from the board A letter from Christina Gold CEO
Our World, Our Family…Our Giving.
Every day, Western Union® consumers around the world are sending money home to help create a brighter future for their loved ones. Their hard-earned dollars are feeding families, building homes or paying for books and uniforms so children can go to school. And every day as a company, we are supporting these “heroes and their loved ones,” through the work that we do and the funding we provide through Western Union and the Western Union Foundation.
Since its inception in 2001, the Western Union Foundation has granted almost $53 million to more than 1,800 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 100 countries. In 2008 alone, over $9.1 million was donated for disaster relief grants, direct donations to NGOs and Agent Giving Circle grants through Western Union’s Our World, Our Family® program, a five-year, $50 million investment that fosters greater global economic opportunity, helps families stay connected, overcome barriers and realize their dreams.
Grants given through the Western Union Foundation provide individuals, families and entire communities with the skills, knowledge and resources essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. Below are just a few examples of recent Our World, Our Family grants and programs.
Our World Gives
- In rural Haiti, foundation funding to Partners in Health and Zamni Alpha is being used to help fund forty-three adult literacy centers.
- In Croatia, a grant to Microfinance Centre is helping to provide financial education to migrants and low-income households.
- In Africa, a grant to the Ecobank Foundation is supporting education in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon by providing portable lap desks, helping to create better learning conditions in overcrowded community schools.
- In Denver, Colorado, a grant to the Cross Community Coalition is helping to fund a computer education program for low-income and immigrant families.
Our World Learns
- Last year we successfully launched the Western Union Foundation Family Scholarship Program within the Guatemalan and Filipino communities in the Los Angeles, California area, awarding the first college scholarships to two Filipina sisters.
- A worldwide template for a savings tips book for immigrants was developed to help these individuals understand the importance of savings.
- 110,000 Pinoy Care Handbooks were distributed to migrants within the Philippines-United Arab Emirates corridor and informational booklets on remittances and banking were developed for use in Guatemala and Mexico, providing migrants and their families with information on the resources available to them.
Our World Speaks
- In 2008, we traveled the world, engaging others in dialogue about the issues that affect migrant communities. We spoke before many prestigious organizations including the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Conference Board Contributions Council and the Business Civic Leadership Center.
- We were recognized at the Clinton Global Initiative where Our World, Our Family was recognized as part of the poverty alleviation component of the meeting.
Our World Strives
- Western Union employees volunteered their time and business skills to become part of the online Micromentors Program, sharing their knowledge and expertise to help emerging small business owners.
- Western Union has continued to partner with the National Hispanic Business Information Clearinghouse (BIC), offering online tools for new migrant and minority entrepreneurs.
At Western Union, we believe that corporate citizenship is about the contribution that a company makes to society. Through funding from our company and our Foundation, jobs are being created, children have a place to learn, migrants are being educated and homes and libraries are being built. We believe that migrants are the unsung heroes of modern development and are proud of our role in supporting these individuals on their long journey toward a better tomorrow.