Western Union announces four “Chain of Betters” awards for community-building projects in the Philippines

Western Union announced today that its Chain of Betters competition, which funds projects that make lasting positive change for communities around the world, has selected four winning projects that will improve the quality of life for those living in the Philippines. The four individuals who nominated these projects will be responsible for making the “better” happen over the next three months.

The projects that will benefit from the Western Union Chain of Betters awards include:

“The Disaster Workshop and Equipment” projects, nominated by Jeremiah Datoy, which will provide the indigent people of Tiwi, Albay with communications equipment, rescue materials and disaster preparedness seminars in this area that is effected by 10-15 typhoons each year.

The “Water for Vegetable Farm” project, nominated by Venus Parmisana, will create a Microcontroller-Based Water Management System (a research and development project by students in MSU-IIT) that will help women farmers augment their income and give them more time with their families.

The “Help the Aeta Kids Get a Chance at a Better Education” project, nominated by Karlo Manzano, will build a library for the Aeta Children of Sitio Bagong Silang in San Pablo, Castillejos, Zambales, and support ALS (Alternative Learning System) teachers to provide mobile chalkboards and other materials in their outreach to Aeta Kids in the mountain region.

The “Saludo GenSet – Portable Solar Generator Set” project, nominated by Aquileta Turla, will provide electricity and its many benefits to 16 million people. This gas-free source of renewable energy will keep lights, phones, handheld radios for disaster response, medical equipment and laptops powered on through any situation.

The Western Union® Chain of Betters competition was designed to kick start a chain of good deeds by awarding US$1,000 (or local currency equivalent) for winning project ideas nominated by individuals from an initial group of 20 qualifying countries in 2015.

“The Chain of Betters competition was designed to show how the movement of money can create a ripple effect in communities around the world. We see every day that financial support of any dollar amount can advance the good, simple ideas that have a big impact and create a multiplier effect to improve lives,” said Western Union Vice President, Global Brand & Marketing, Simonetta Rigo. “This competition expresses our deep appreciation for our customers and the people they help regularly through remittances.”