Western Union Launches Financial Literacy Programme for UAE Migrant Workers with Support from UAE Labour Ministry

DUBAI, UAE, December 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

The programme provides workers with skills to manage their finances  

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), a world leading money transfer company, announced the launch of "Apna Sapna", a Financial Literacy Programme for migrant workers in the UAE to help them develop the awareness and skills to manage their finances and plan for the future. "Apna Sapna", which in Hindi means "Our Dream", is endorsed by the UAE Labour Ministry and aims to address the challenges of migrant workers who are often unsure about how to achieve their long-term financial goals.

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With the "Apna Sapna" programme, Western Union intends to train 3,000 people over two months through face-to-face training sessions run across small groups. In order to reach out to a wider audience, the programme will take place across a number of labour camps in the UAE. A pilot programme has already been conducted with over 1,500 workers as part of the first phase of this programme. The second phase will also include women workers to facilitate financial empowerment for women.

The programme has been created in eight different languages enabling Western Union to deliver this programme to key diaspora across the UAE in their native language, encouraging learning and impact of the programme.

"As a company, we have a long history of deep engagement with migrant workers in the UAE," said Jean Claude Farah, President- Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and CIS, Western Union, "Through Apna Sapna we are seeking to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage their finances enabling them to plan for and work towards a more secure future.

The programme being implemented by Western Union has been developed specifically for the workers in the UAE. It covers key aspects of basic financial planning. These include individual modules focused on mapping expenses and income, planning and budgeting, understanding how savings lead to returns and understanding the hierarchy of savings from an immediate, short-term and long-term savings perspective.

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 September 30, 2014, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 500,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 100,000 ATMs and kiosks. In 2013, The Western Union Company completed 242 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $82 billion of principal between consumers, and 459 million business payments. For more information, visit http://www.westernunion.com.

SOURCE The Western Union Company