03-Jul-07
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — THE 10 recipients received mock cheques for $500 from Cedric Dias, the Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei of Western Union Financial Services at the presentation ceremony at the Rizqun International Hotel yesterday. The Western Union Education Grant campaign was launched on May 7 and ended on June 7 for Western Union Gold Cardholders. The cardholders were required to fill in a form and submit relevant details such as the number of children in their home country, monthly income, contact details and more importantly, why they need the grant.
"We received hundreds of applications for the grant. It was highly successful. One of the main aims of the education grant was to build a strong emotional bond and reach out to the migrant community," said Ti Eng hui, the Deputy General Manager of Retail Banking and Branch Network for Baiduri Bank.
Cedric Dias spoke of supporting the education of the migrant's children in the Philippines, India and Indonesia saying, "Each year thousands of migrants leave their home country and every month they send back money to support their families, but one of the common reasons for sending money back is to support the education of their children."
He mentioned that $500 may not seem a lot to the general public, but to the migrants who receive them, "$500 can pay for a year's worth of tuition fees, purchase books, stationery and so on". "The relevance of such a grant can be felt with the hundreds of applications that were received throughout the application period, and we are proud that we are able to bring this grant to Brunei to help support the recipients," Cedric added.
"I am extremely thankful to Western Union for giving me this support and also to the staff at Baiduri Bank," said Cecilia Mandique, a grant recipient and mother who sends $200 every month for her children's education. The representatives from the High Commission of India, the Embassy of the Philippines and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia were among the guests that were invited.
Debbie Too
