Business & Money | Monday 1 February, 2016 3:53 pm |

The Western Union Company has successfully concluded the first phase of 'Apna Sapna', a financial literacy programme for migrant workers, with 18,500 participants attending free training sessions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA). The vast majority of participants say the programme has helped them understand and plan their finances better, to achieve long-terms goals.

Western Union has also announced the launch of a second module of Apna Sapna that focuses on personal savings, with new training sessions held in workers' accommodations in Dubai.

Launched in November 2014, Western Union's Apna Sapna ('Our Dreams' in Hindi and Urdu) is designed specifically to help migrant workers develop the skills to manage their money and plan their future. The sessions are conducted in multiple languages - primarily for unskilled workers in the corporate and retail sectors - and are typically held at labour camps and workers' accommodations on Fridays, or after work hours on weekdays.  

According to Hatem Sleiman, Western Union's Regional Vice President - Middle East, "The Apna Sapna programme builds upon Western Union's long history of commitment and engagement with migrant workers, and echoes the UAE government's directions to focus on their welfare and help them safeguard their future through effective financial literacy."

It is the impact and importance of the programme that has led to its resounding success," he says. "When we launched Apna Sapna, we were hesitant to restrict ourselves with any target numbers, but the results have exceeded everything we expected.

Apna Sapna has not only proven very popular - in the number of participants and venues - but it has made a substantial impact in the lives of so many people."      

Sleiman also explained the new modules of the programme: "The most important factor that has emerged out of the training sessions conducted to date is the need for personal savings. Thereby, the next phase of Apna Sapna highlights this particular aspect of financial literacy."          

Based on interactive feedback, the new sessions instruct participants how and where to save their money, promotes smart money management among their family members, and imparts special training on saving towards setting up a small business.

Participants also receive a free booklet that lists a variety of recognised and legitimate savings schemes in India, Bangladesh andPakistan at this stage of the programme - with more countries to follow in 2016.

The goal of this phase is to ensure that several thousand workers can upgrade their status from 'survival' to 'stability', Sleiman added.

Sessions of the modules that focus on personal savings were launched in Dubai, and will be rolled out across the rest of the UAE, and KSA in due course.