Western Union a leader in global money transfer services, along with its Agents in Ghana - Agricultural Development Bank, Ecobank Ghana, The Trust Bank, Apex Bank, National Investment Bank, Intercontinental Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Cal Bank, Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Prudential Bank, Access Bank and now UniBank, have provided support to help improve the conditions for pupils attending six schools located in Central, Western, Ashanti and the Greater Accra regions. One hundred desks and chairs have been provided for each school in time for the new academic year.

The initiative is aligned with the Western Union Foundation’s Our World, Our Family signature program which aims to empower individuals, families and communities through access to better education and economic opportunities.

Making the announcement on Thursday, September 30, at a ceremony held at one of the recipient schools, Nkwantanan District Assembly Primary and Junior High school in Greater Accra, Mr Ben Shamo, Head of Money Transfer of The Trust Bank, on behalf of all participating Western Union Agents said “this is a great initiative that will positively address key aspects of the school’s current and future challenges”.

Other school’s to benefit from the initiative include the Daatano Methodist Primary, Pekyino No 1 - Off Obuasi Road, in the Ashanti Region, Whindo M/A Primary School - Takoradi in the Western Region, Nyanfeku Ekroful Catholic J.H.S in the Central Region and Nkwantanan D/A 5&6 Primary & J.H.S and Zakari Kope Primary & J.H.S also in the Greater Accra Region. Western Union and its Agents have been working to support activities that will significantly increase the capacity of the school to meet the growing educational demands of the children in the area.

In 2009, new school furniture was donated to six schools in time for the new academic year. Following its success and the positive impact on students’ productivity, the initiative is being repeated for other underprivileged schools this year.

Mr Ben Shamo, added that “Western Union and its Agents have actively sought out opportunities to support development and educational initiatives not just here in Ghana, but globally. We believe our services are about more than money, and our donation today is an illustration of the different ways in which we aim to empower communities.”

Mrs Dora Agigbire, the headmistress of Nkwantanan District Assembly Primary and Junior High school, thanked Western Union and its Agents for their support, adding “Having a comfortable learning environment ensures that students are able to concentrate on learning , which will encourage them to excel in their studies.”

Also present was the Director of basic Schools Mr. Adu who expressed gratitude to western union for the continuous support for basic education in Ghana.

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Custom House branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders.

The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of approximately 430,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories.

In 2009, The Western Union Company completed 196 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $71 billion of principal between consumers, and 415 million business payments