SANA'A, Yemen--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) and the Western Union Foundation today announced a coordinated response involving the company’s employees, its agents and global non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide humanitarian relief to millions of people in Yemen.

The Western Union Foundation has committed USD$ 100,000 to the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) to support their work to provide urgently needed food, prevent the risk of cholera and help those who are already affected.

The Foundation will also provide a dollar-for-dollar match of qualifying contributions from Western Union agents to qualified NGOs providing disaster relief support to those impacted by the crisis. Western Union employee donations to the Foundation will be eligible for a 2:1 match. Agent and employee donations will be matched, up to an aggregate total of USD$ 25,000. In total, contributions from the Foundation through this comprehensive effort could reach up to USD$ 125,000 in total aid.

“We are committed to helping the communities we serve, including enhancing our support in Yemen, to combat the fragile situation facing the country during this devastating crisis,” said Elizabeth Roscoe, executive director, Western Union Foundation.

From now until July 13, 2017, Western Union will reimburse* fees** paid by NGOs for money transfers to Yemen made from participating Western Union agent locations worldwide, wu.com and the company’s mobile applications.

Due to the unstable situation in Yemen, some Western Union agent locations there may not be immediately operational or possess sufficient funds.

* Western Union NGO customers sending money to Yemen will need to pay standard fees at the time of the transaction(s). Within 30 days of the transaction(s), Western Union will manually reimburse NGOs that sent money to Yemen between June 13, 2017 and July 13, 2017. For questions about the reimbursement process or for information on how to become a Western Union NGO customer, please email [email protected].

** Western Union makes money on the exchange of currencies.

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 inception in 2001. These funds have been pledged in more than 138 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.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of March 31, 2017, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 550,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 150,000 ATMs and kiosks, and included the capability to send money to billions of accounts. In 2016, The Western Union Company completed 268 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $80 billion of principal between consumers, and 523 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

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