Western Union Foundation Awards $100,000 to Education For Employment (EFE) to Support EFE in UAE and Palestine During the COVID-19 Crisis

May 8, 2020 – The Western Union Foundation (WUF) has been a long-standing strategic partner of EFE, based on the belief that education is the surest pathway to economic opportunity. WUF has awarded $210,000 USD to EFE since 2016, “Education for Better,” with flexible core funding that accelerated EFE’s ability to achieve its milestone of supporting 105,000 youth to enter the world of work.

WUF’s generous support is needed now more than ever when COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable youth and women, impacting their livelihoods and futures. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the hardest place on the planet for youth to get a job. More than 30 percent of youth are locked out of the labor market (source: World Bank), a number that rises to well over 40 percent for young women (source: UN Women). In a region where youth – especially young women – are too often sidelined, EFE and WUF are empowering them with skills, economic inclusion, and a platform to inspire others as role models.

Now through WUF’s “Opportunity Beyond Borders” commitment to empowering forcibly displaced and marginalized youth with the training and education needed to succeed in today’s technology-driven global economy, WUF has generously awarded $100,000 USD to EFE’s Catalyst Fund. This will enable EFE to scale its outreach, partnership and communications efforts through its UAE regional hub. WUF’s award will also provide funding in Palestine so that it can continue to connect youth and women to the world of work, focusing on high-demand sectors such as tourism, sales, marketing, and health in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

About Education For Employment

Education For Employment is the leading network of non-profit organizations that tackles youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Our mission is to empower youth in the MENA region with demand-driven skills that lead to employment, dignity and hope. The EFE

Network partners with over 3,000 employers and to date has connected over 105,000 graduates, 57% of whom are women, to the world of work. For more information, please visit www.efe.org or contact Jasmine Nahhas di Florio, Senior Vice President, jnahhasdiflorio@efe.org.

About Western Union Foundation

The Western Union Foundation believes that education is the surest pathway to economic opportunity. After nearly 20 years of impact, we are continuing to deliver against our mission with our Opportunity Beyond Borders commitment, to invest $15 million by 2022, with a focus on empowering forcibly displaced and marginalized youth with the training and education needed to succeed in today’s technology-driven global economy. We also provide funding to communities in crisis through disaster relief and other humanitarian efforts, a key reason for forced migration. To date, more than $124 million has been given to fund projects and scholarships in 174 countries across the globe. The Western Union Foundation is a separate charitable corporation that is tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code, and receives support from The Western Union Company, its employees, Agents and business partners. Contributions to the Foundation are tax-deductible for US income tax purposes. To learn more, visit wu.com/foundation or follow us on Twitter @TheWUFoundation.

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