WASHINGTON, D.C. and
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and
Western Union have launched the Libya Diaspora Marketplace (LDM).
The LDM will award up to four winning businesses with matching
grants of between $25,000 and $50,000
with accompanying technical assistance.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/531122 )
The LDM encourages sustainable economic growth and employment by
supporting entrepreneurs who are U.S. citizens or permanent
resident members of the Libyan diaspora community, as well as those
who have a relevant connection to, or experience in, Libya. Grants awarded for startup or existing
small and medium enterprises will focus on high-priority,
high-impact sectors that meet the immediate and evolving
development needs of the country.
"The recent events in the region have offered USAID
opportunities to adjust our approaches to assistance in the
Middle East and North Africa and forge new partnerships across
the region," said Alina Romanowski,
USAID's Acting Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Bureau.
"I'm excited these new relationships also include the LDM
initiative and the diaspora who want to make a difference in their
homeland during a historical time."
USAID began redirecting assistance and putting new programs into
place to help the people of Libya
in response to a rapidly unfolding situation across the
Middle East and North Africa, laying the foundation for a
democratic future and economic prosperity that engages and benefits
all Libyans.
The inclusion of Libyan diaspora in the LDM highlights this
commitment to facilitating diaspora entrepreneurs who want to
contribute to the development of their home countries.
"The LDM is an innovative model for corporate, government and
nonprofit collaboration to promote entrepreneurship and the
employment it supports. Expanding the ADM to Libya leverages its unique benefits to help
create lasting social and economic impact," said Aida Diarra, Western Union Regional Vice
President for North Central and West
Africa.
USAID will be hosting an informational webinar on Thursday, April 18, 2013. More Information about
the webinar, the LDM, how to apply and deadlines can be found at
http://www.diasporamarketplace.org. Submission of proposals
will commence on Friday, April 5,
2013.
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
December 31, 2012, the Western Union,
Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a
combined network of approximately 510,000 agent locations in 200
countries and territories. In 2012, The Western Union Company
completed 231 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide,
moving $79 billion of principal
between consumers, and 432 million business payments. For more
information, visit
http://www.westernunion.com.
About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. government agency providing development
and humanitarian assistance to people around the world. The
agency's Global Development Alliance (GDA) links U.S. foreign
assistance with the resources, expertise and creativity of the
private sector as well as nongovernmental organizations.
Since its launch in 2001, the Global Development Alliance has
changed the way U.S. international development projects are
financed and implemented. By cultivating more than 900
public-private alliances with over 1,700 individual partners, it
has allowed USAID to leverage an additional $9.6 billion in resources for development.
For more information about USAID and its programs around the
world, visit http://www.usaid.gov. For more information on
Global Development Alliances, visit
http://www.usaid.gov/gda/index.html.
SOURCE Western Union and USAID