Pro Mujer Celebrates Service to Over 1 Million Women and Their Families

“Pro Mujer, a development organization providing Latin America’s poorest women with micro-finance, business training and healthcare support, today announced it will honor Western Union President, CEO and Director Christina Gold, as Pro Mujer Woman of the Year, for her outstanding support of women and the global communities in which they live.

“Christina is a dynamic leader who stands apart because of her passion to support women and families,” said Lynne R. Patterson, Pro Mujer’s executive director and co-founder. She cited Western Union’s efforts to support immigrants’ home countries through the 4 1 gift matching program.

Pro Mujer will present the award to Gold next month at its annual “Giving Women Credit” celebration.

“Pro Mujer’s work is reflective of our corporate culture,” Gold said. “It not only respects but helps families leverage their unique skills to live a better life. On behalf of my colleagues, thank you for working hard to lead such an important cause.”

Under Gold’s leadership Western Union has successfully launched and executed the 4 1 program, a private-sector gift-matching initiative in Mexico to support immigrant communities. According to the Population Reference Bureau, there are approximately 200 million migrants supporting women and children back home. Through its 4 1 gift-matching program, Western Union is both creatively fighting poverty and promoting economic development so that migration can be an option, not a necessity, and the well-being of those who remain in their own communities can be improved.

Through a presence in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, Pro Mujer believes that health is women’s most precious asset, a key to their well-being and success in the home, the workplace, and their community.

Health care is particularly crucial for micro-entrepreneurs because an illness can deplete savings and other assets, keep them away from their business, and cause other disruptions that can threaten a business.

Pro Mujer has pioneered an approach that integrates health care and financial services, providing information and services that help clients stay healthy and run their businesses.

Pro Mujer offers both health care and financial services from neighborhood centers. Pro Mujer reinvests the profits generated from financial services to expand coverage; to innovate and better serve clients; and to partially subsidize the social development services, including healthcare support, business training and empowerment programs.

Salma Hayek, Placido Domingo, Benjamin Bratt, Talisa Soto, Robert and Luciana Duvall, and Maria Elena Lagomasino lend their support to Pro Mujer’s achievements in improving the lives of over one million women and their families throughout Latin America over the last 17 years.

About Pro Mujer

Pro Mujer is an international micro-finance and women’s development network that offers financial services, business training and healthcare to poor women in Latin America, helping them to achieve economic security and improved health.

Established in 1990, the network comprises micro-finance institutions in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. Since its inception, Pro Mujer has disbursed more than US$327 million in small loans averaging approximately US$189.

Pro Mujer clients have saved US$12 million, providing a financial buffer for their families in times of crises.

Pro Mujer is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. More information is available on the website, www.promujer.org.

About Western Union

Western Union (NYSE: WU), together with its affiliates Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, is a leading provider of global money transfer services, providing people with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send money around the world, pay bills and purchase money orders through a network of more than 312,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com. “

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