A message from Pamela Flaherty
President and CEO, Citi Foundation
Director, Corporate Citizenship
Financial Education Program Celebrates 4th Anniversary
In April, Citi's Office of Financial Education celebrates the fourth anniversary of our unprecedented 10-year, $200 million global commitment to Financial Education. In 2007, Citi and the Citi Foundation invested nearly $36 million in 65 countries, for a total of almost $121 million to date – putting us well ahead of schedule. Combined, the Citi Foundation and Citi-sponsored programs last year touched the lives of nearly 22 million people worldwide.
Citi also introduced its personal finance video series, Wallet Wisdom, which taps into Citi's experience providing financial advice to consumers. Each short 4-6 minute episode profiles a financial challenge that “real people” face, such as paying back college loans or saving a home from foreclosure. Citi experts provided content and on-air expertise.
To reach those with minimal financial skills, the Citi Foundation's Global Financial Education Project has provided financial education training to 266 master trainers and 2,831 organizational trainers, reaching over 168,000 clients of microfinance institutions in 30 countries worldwide in the past two years. Through alternative delivery channels such as radio and newsletters, the program has reached an additional 6.6 million individuals globally.
Additionally, in 2007 more than 39,000 high school students from 31 countries participated in the new Junior Achievement Banks in Action program, sponsored globally by the Citi Foundation to increase young people's understanding of how banks work and empower them to manage their money responsibly. More than 930 Citi volunteers helped deliver this financial education program through Junior Achievement Worldwide. We are very proud of our progress and applaud our employees' efforts to make communities better because we are there. To spotlight these programs along with many others, a global update of Citi's financial education highlights is published monthly.
During Citi's nearly 200-year legacy of industry leadership, Citi and the Citi Foundation have helped individuals, families, entrepreneurs, institutions, and governments better understand how to use the financial resources available to them to meet their goals. Through it all, we've learned that when it comes to money, knowledge is your greatest asset®, and, in today's complex world, financial literacy is a critical life skill.
I look forward to keeping you informed of our continued progress. To learn more on Financial Education, please visit http://financialeducation.citi.com
|
|
Printer Friendly Page