Mastercard in partnership with WARBE Development Foundation has announced a grassroots level financial education programme to educate and train 35,000 migrant workers and their families on remittance management.

A large number of people, especially who are working abroad and their families who live in rural areas of Bangladesh, are dependent on foreign remittance, Mastercard said in a statement yesterday.

The WARBE (Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladeshi Emigrants) Development Foundation is a non-profitable organisation working in Bangladesh.

“In Bangladesh, livelihood of a large number of people is dependent on the foreign remittance sent by their near and dear ones,” said Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager of Mastercard.

“We are proud to have already trained 15,000 beneficiaries on proper remittance management in partnership with WARBE Development Foundation. This time we look forward to train 35,000 more.”

“We believe that this training will equip these communities with the knowledge and skills sets to create their own opportunities and pursue their dreams, resulting in long-term benefits, not just for themselves, but also their families and society at large,” he said.

“I believe that despite such large amount of remittance being sent from abroad by the migrant workers, their families are not being able to utilise the money properly due to lack of knowledge in remittance management,” said Syed Saiful Haque, chairman of WARBE Development Foundation.

“I hope that, this programme will be successful in educating these rural people on how to properly manage their remittance and utilise it in the most effective manner resulting in long-term socio economic development within these communities.”

MA Mannan, state minister for finance and planning, also attended the event.