Western Union Foundation Funds Education for Underserved Youth

Latest Grants to Support 55,000 Disadvantaged Youth Around the World

Introduces ‘Hikmet Ersek Scholarship’

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Western Union Foundation today announced its latest USD 3.7 million Opportunity Beyond Borders investment in skills training, resources, and a new scholarship fund, helping prepare nearly 55,000 disadvantaged and displaced youth to compete in the global economy. This is the latest investment in the Foundation’s Opportunity Beyond Borders three-year, USD 15 million commitment to give migrant young adults the resources to gain sustainable employment, as well as provide relief and preparedness for crises.

Education is the key pathway to economic mobility. Yet for many young people, particularly displaced and disadvantaged youth, it is often out of reach. The Foundation’s latest investment seeks to address the unique challenges these populations face in accessing and completing higher education.

“Disadvantaged and displaced populations have always faced more barriers to education than other student populations, and the pandemic has created even more obstacles,” said the Foundation’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Roscoe. “It is now more critical than ever that youth find access to the quality education that equips them for meaningful careers and a chance at a better life.”

Investing in the Next Generation of Leaders

Also as part of the latest Opportunity Beyond Borders investment, Western Union Foundation continues to advance its mission of putting higher education within reach of disadvantaged youth with a two-year, USD 1 million commitment to provide financial assistance to 85 aspiring WU Scholars around the globe who face obstacles in pursuing higher education.

To commemorate Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek’s support of migrants and refugees, the Foundation will introduce a CEO Scholarship, with a well-deserving scholar honored as the 2022 Ersek Scholar.

In addition to the scholarship program, the Foundation and its partners will provide underserved youth skills training and resources designed to open doors to educational and economic advancement.

In partnership with Watson Institute, the Western Union Foundation Accelerator and Fellowship will equip promising, forcibly displaced and marginalized young leaders and entrepreneurs with the skills and experience to increase access to economic opportunity.

In Uganda, Jordan, Colombia, and the United States, MIT ReAct will provide remote learning and skills training certification for talented refugees and displaced learners in underserved communities, improving future employability.

In Canada, Techfugees will facilitate access to remote work opportunities and professional resettlement of forcibly displaced persons based in Lebanon with tech backgrounds.

To learn more about the impact the Western Union Foundation has made to people and partners over the past year, check out the stories of impact on their newly launched website.

About the Western Union Foundation

The Western Union Foundation believes that education is the surest pathway to economic opportunity. After 20 years of impact, we continue to deliver on our mission with Opportunity Beyond Borders, focused on empowering forcibly displaced and marginalized youth with the training and education needed to succeed in today’s technology-driven global economy. The Foundation also provides funding for humanitarian efforts for communities in crisis and disaster, one key reason for forced migration. Including second-quarter 2021 investments, to date, we have funded more than $145 million for projects and scholarships. The Western Union Foundation is a separate, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable corporation and receives support from The Western Union Company, its employees, agents, and business partners. Contributions to the Foundation are tax-deductible for U.S. income tax purposes. To learn more, visit www.westernunionfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter @TheWUFoundation.