The Western Union Foundation, in collaboration with HOPE worldwide (Singapore) (HOPEwwS), awarded education grants worth a total of S$30,000 to 60 migrant workers working in Singapore. Each individual grant of S$500 covers as much as a year’s tuition fees and other necessities like books and uniforms. The Education Grant Award Ceremony took place on 29 June 2008.

Now in its third year, the Western Union Foundation Education Grant Program aims to help migrant workers with the financial costs of educating their children. This year, more than 2,000 applications were received and the 60 winners are migrant workers originated from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

HOPE worldwide and The Western Union Foundation have also worked together on the education grants for Malaysia and Brunei to allow more migrant workers’ families to benefit from this program.

Ms Joyce Tan, CEO of HOPEwwS, said: “The program is very well received. Among the two thousand submissions, we have short-listed a hundred applicants for a more in-depth interview to select the 60 deserving winners. It was a real challenge for the judging panel to determine the final winners as each applicant do have a heartwarming story behind and all of them work very hard here to build a better future for their families.�

Ms Tan added: “We made our decision based on criteria including number and ages of children the applicants have, their marital status, family income, etc. Those who projected heartfelt desire of wanting to further their children’s schooling won our hearts.�

Cedric Dias, Country Director, Singapore and Brunei, Western Union, said: “We started the Education Grant Program three years ago in Singapore because, through our day-to-day transactions with our customers, we learnt that migrant workers who are parents send money home primarily for their children’s education needs. The annual upfront costs of school fees, books and uniforms can add up to a significant amount. Often these parents have to resort to loans from families, or unscrupulous lenders.�

“Experts agree that education is one of the most effective tools for long term alleviation and Western Union is committed to supporting the families of migrant workers. The Western Union Foundation Education Grants are thus practical, immediate and targeted,� Mr Dias added.

Mrs Mijuri Cortezano, a mother-of-five from the Philippines, was ecstatic when informed that she is one of this year’s grant winners. The 34-year-old said: “My employer picked up the application form and asked me to join, so I’m so grateful to her! I not only have five children to support, but also my parents, a paralysed grandmother and a mother-in-law too. With the S$500 grant money, at least I can now pay the school fees of my three school-going children.�

The Western Union Foundation Education Grants were open to migrant workers in Singapore from all countries with school-going children. A total of 100 applications were shortlisted for interviews by a judging panel which included members of both Western Union and HOPEwwS; Mr John Gee, President, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2); Ms Luz Campos Mesenas, Managing Director of Filipino magazine OFW Pinoy Star; and Ms Meenatchi Sabapathy, Senior Producer-Presenter from MediaCorp Radio Oli 96.8FM. The final 60 recipients were determined based on criteria including number and ages of children, marital status and family income. The short essay developed by the applicant about why he or she should be selected for the grant was also taken into consideration.

The Western Union Foundation Education Grants are an initiative of the Western Union Foundation, Western Union’s philanthropic arm. The Western Union Foundation is devoted to facilitating global economic opportunity. Last year, Western Union introduced Our World, Our FamilySM, a US$50 million (BN$68 million), five-year initiative to empower migrant families worldwide, helping them stay connected, overcome barriers, and realize their dreams.