Western Union unveils new football-based education initiative today

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Western Union, a leader in global payment services and new Global Partner of the UEFA Europa League, has announced it will turn every successful pass in this season’s European football competition into funding to provide a day’s education for young people around the world.

By so doing, it hopes to deliver one million school days to unschooled but brilliant and hardworking students around the world.

Declaring this through a statement issued from Paris, France Tuesday September 11, 2012, Western Union said their decision is informed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO’s) publication that 71 million bright, hardworking students globally are not enrolled in secondary or vocational education.

Stating that this is a tremendous loss of economic and human potential, the payment service known very well in Ghana for remittances from relations abroad, believes each extra year of school can increase an individual’s potential economic opportunity.  

It says through the PASS initiative, it intends to harness the power of football to build awareness of this challenge, as well as deliver on-the-ground support that will make a difference to young people and their communities.

The initiative will be fronted by former international football star Patrick Vieira and start during the group stages of the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League, which kicks off on September 20 across Europe.

However, there will be a virtual press conference today, September 13, 2012, to enable people from 18 African countries speak with Marc Audrit, Vice President Global Brand at Western Union to enable participants learn more about the initiative.

The time schedules are 0900 hours GMT for people in Accra, Ghana; Bamako, Mali; Dakar, Senegal; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Monrovia, Liberia and 1000 hours GMT for those in Abuja, Nigeria; Luanda, Angola; Kinshasa, DR Congo and Porto-Novo, Cape Verde.

For those in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kigali, Rwanda; Lusaka, Zambia and Maputo, Mozambique it will be at 1100 hours GMT, whilst the conference will be at1200 hours GMT for people in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Entebbe, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya.