The Western Union Company, a leading money transfer company, has launched ‘Apna Sapna,’ a  financial literacy programme for migrant workers in the UAE to help them develop the awareness and skills to  manage their finances and plan for the future.

‘Apna Sapna,’ which in Hindi means ‘Our Dream,’ has been endorsed by the UAE Labour Ministry and aims at addressing the challenges of migrant workers who are often unsure about how to achieve their long-term financial goals.

With the programme, Western Union intends to train 3,000 people over two months through face-to-face training sessions run across small groups.

In order to reach out to a wider audience, the programme will take place across a number of labour camps in the UAE, said a statement.

A pilot programme has already been conducted with over 1,500 workers as part of the first phase of this programme. The second phase will also include women workers to facilitate financial empowerment for women, it said.

The programme has been created in eight different languages enabling Western Union to deliver this programme to key diaspora across the UAE in their native language, encouraging learning and impact of the programme.

Jean Claude Farah, president - Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and CIS, said: ”As a company, we have a long history of deep engagement with migrant workers in the UAE. Through Apna Sapna we are seeking to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage their finances enabling them to plan for and work towards a more secure future.”

The programme will cover key aspects of basic financial planning including individual modules focused on mapping expenses and income, planning and budgeting, understanding how savings lead to returns and understanding the hierarchy of savings from an immediate, short term and long term savings perspective. - TradeArabia News Service