ENGLEWOOD, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As part of its year-round commitment to refugees, as well as to recognize World Refugee Day on June 20, the Western Union Foundation today launched a global social media awareness campaign – the #IAmMore Challenge – to help change perceptions and raise money for organizations that support refugees and displaced persons through education and job training.
Through September 1, for every Facebook profile photo that is swapped with one of the refugees or displaced persons highlighted in the #IAmMore Challenge, the Western Union Foundation will donate USD $1 to programs that support them around the world – up to USD $50,000 total.
“World Refugee Day is a time to come together and take action, to help address the global crisis affecting more than 65 million people,” said Hikmet Ersek, Western Union CEO. “Western Union is proud to serve refugees around the world each day, and taking part in the #IAmMore Challenge is a small way that anyone can show their support and respect for refugees who face unthinkable obstacles as they rebuild their lives in a new home.”
The #IAmMore Challenge provides participants with the opportunity to match themselves to a refugee or displaced person being helped by one of the Foundation’s NGO partners based on a common trait or characteristic. Participants then swap their Facebook profile picture to share the story of the refugee they paired with, as well as challenge friends to donate their own Facebook profile. Participants can also make a direct donation to the Western Union Foundation to support refugee programs.
“We are on a mission to give refugees and displaced persons a voice and to share with the world that these global citizens are so much more than their current circumstances – they’re doctors, teachers, artists and so much more,” said Elizabeth Roscoe, Executive Director of the Western Union Foundation. “Supporting organizations that empower people in need through education and job training helps ensure that a generation is not lost now – that they can fulfill their potential.”
Western Union and the Western Union Foundation have a long history of supporting organizations and issues related to migration, refugees, and humanitarian crisis. Last month, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative celebrated the groundbreaking of a Western Union Foundation-funded community learning center that will help provide life-skills and conflict-resolution training for 10,000 refugees at a settlement in Uganda.
To learn more or participate in the #IAmMore challenge, visit: www.westernunion.com/iammore.
The #IAmMore Challenge is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
About The Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better world, where the ability to realize dreams through economic opportunity is not just a privilege for the few but a right for all. Through its signature program, Education for Better, and with the support of The Western Union Company, its employees, Agents, and business partners, The Western Union Foundation works to realize this vision by supporting education and disaster relief efforts as pathways toward a better future. Our combined social ventures efforts make life better for individuals, families and communities around the world. The Western Union Foundation has paid more than $111 million in charitable giving since its inception in 2001. These funds have been pledged in more than 137 countries and territories. The Western Union Foundation is a separate charitable corporation that is tax-exempt under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, contributions to which are tax-deductible for US income tax purposes. To learn more, visit www.westernunionfoundation.org, or Follow us on Twitter @TheWUFoundation.
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Contacts
The Western Union Company
Rachel Rogala, Global Corporate Communications
+1 (720) 332-2686
Rachel.Rogala@wu.com
