Categoría: Aaron Sanchez

NEW YORK, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — In March 2022, Queensboro FC (QBFC) will take the pitch as New York City’s newest professional soccer team based in Queens, playing in the United Soccer League (USL).  Today, QBFC announced a strategic alliance with Bayamón Fútbol Club (Bayamón FC) in order to give youth in Puerto Rico the opportunity to try out for the QBFC Academy.  Founded in October 2020, the QBFC Academy is a development system for U-19 players to train, compete, and hone their skills with an eye toward becoming a professional player for the club’s inaugural senior team.  QBFC’s Head Coach and Sporting Director Josep Gombau will be in attendance for the academy’s first ever Puerto Rico tryouts, and extending invitations to select players to join the squad in New York City as part of the club’s QBFC Residency Program. Tryouts take place on March 21st and registration takes place at: www.queensborofc.com/bayamonfc.

Bayamón FC is Puerto Rico’s largest soccer club and in 2016 became the first member of QBFC co-owner David Villa’s DV7 Soccer Academy program. This announcement serves as the first of many partnerships that QBFC plans to form with international clubs around the world.

New York has the largest Puerto Rican population of any city in the world, and QBFC will be a bridge connecting the two communities through the uniting force of soccer. Not only will this partnership provide a «pathway to the pros» for talent to be discovered through the QBFC and Bayamón FC network, and receive a chance to play in New York City, but there will also be reciprocal exchange opportunities for domestic players to experience the game in Puerto Rico as well.  In addition, pre-season training and future friendly matches will take place in Puerto Rico, using top facilities such as the Bayamón Soccer Complex and the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, its national stadium.

«Outside of the island itself, the cultural heartbeat of Puerto Rico is right here in New York City, and we are proud to have Bayamón FC as a partner,» says Josep Gombau.  «QBFC prides itself in being a community-first sporting organization, and we look forward to strengthening ties with Nuyoricans, and Puerto Ricans at large, by providing opportunities for young aspiring footballers to compete at a professional level.»

«This partnership represents a very important step for Bayamón FC.  It has always been a priority for our club to provide the best resources to our players, and this alliance with QBFC will give them real opportunities to play professional soccer in the United States«, says Alberto Santiago, President of Bayamón FC.

«We welcome this alliance with Queensboro FC, which will bring opportunities to young talented players in Puerto Rico and give them the chance to become professional in the United Soccer League of the United States«, says Ramon Luis Rivera Cruz, Mayor of Bayamón. «We are confident that the tryouts will be a success, and that the event will be organized following official guidelines to guarantee the safety of all the participants. Bayamón always supports sporting initiatives that take place in our top facilities.»

For more information, visit www.queensborofc.com.

ABOUT QUEENSBORO FC
Queensboro FC is the newest professional men’s soccer team in Queens, New York. The club will start playing in the 2022 season of the USL Championship, the top tier of the United Soccer League (USL).  Queens, often called the «diversity capital of the world», is home to over 2 million residents, 150 nationalities and 130 languages across more than 90 distinct neighborhoods and 100 square miles. With soccer as Queens’ most popular sport – Queensboro FC aims to embrace and unite «the world’s borough» and honor the beautiful game in the streets, in the parks, in the community – and soon, on the pitch in its own stadium. Queensboro FC stands for more than sports, it is a movement for unifying people across the world. For more information about Queensboro FC visit: www.queensborofc.com.

ABOUT BAYAMÓN FC
Bayamón FC is a soccer club founded in 1999 in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, which plays in the First Division of Puerto Rican soccer and also represents the island in international competitions across the Caribbean and CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football). Bayamón FC’s sporting infrastructure also includes a soccer academy supervised by an accredited network of international coaches, and the club also has a partnership with DV7 Soccer Academy, an organization created and led by soccer legend and Queensboro FC co-owner David Villa. With more than 25 teams competing in 14 different categories (both men’s and women´s), Bayamón FC serves as a reference model  in player development, proven by the amount of players that the club has provided to the Puerto Rican national teams throughout its history. In addition, the club also manages the Bayamón Soccer Complex, the only facility in the Caribbean that has three official full-size 11-a-side fields housed within the same location. Bayamón FC´s mission is to provide sports and personal development opportunities to young players in Puerto Rico.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1307237/QBFC_Badge_Full_Color_Logo.jpg  

SOURCE Queensboro FC

Renewal enables MoneyGram and Ooredoo customers to continue to send money in near real-time to family and friends through Ooredoo Money Wallet

Ooredoo Qatar, the Company’s first fully digital partner in 2012, experienced impressive triple digit YoY transaction growth in 2020

DALLAS, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — MoneyGram International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGI), a global leader in cross-border P2P payments and money transfers, today announced a five-year extension to its partnership with Ooredoo Qatar, the leading telecommunications operator in Qatar. The renewal enables MoneyGram customers to continue to send money in near real-time to family and friends through Ooredoo Money Wallet, a virtual account that allows customers to easily deposit, access or withdraw money.

«We’re excited to extend our partnership with Ooredoo Qatar for another five years as we continue to build upon the strong momentum in our digital transformation,» said Alex Holmes, MoneyGram Chairman and CEO. «As our first fully digital partner back in 2012, Ooredoo has been a driving force in our shift to digital in the Middle Eastern market, and we look forward to seeing our partnership continue to flourish in the years to come.»

Ooredoo was recently awarded «MoneyGram Global Agent of the Year» due to the explosive triple digit year-over-year transaction growth it experienced in 2020 as well as its collaborative strategy to further improve customer experience. As consumer demand for account deposit services and digital options continues to increase, MoneyGram and Ooredoo Qatar are giving consumers the opportunity to send and receive money from the comfort of their own homes, which has been especially important in the last year.

«With Qatar being one of the largest outbound international remittance markets, our strategic partnership with MoneyGram continues to help connect friends and family around the world through fast, convenient and affordable money transfer services,» said Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, Chief Consumer Officer at Ooredoo Qatar. «The length of the new contract term is a testament to the strength and ongoing success of this partnership, and we are excited about what this means for the future of digital remittances in the Middle East.» 

About MoneyGram International, Inc.
MoneyGram is a global leader in cross-border P2P payments and money transfers. Its consumer-centric capabilities enable family and friends to quickly and affordably send money in more than 200 countries and territories, with 90 now digitally enabled.

MoneyGram leverages its modern, mobile, and API-driven platform and collaborates with the world’s leading brands to serve millions of people each year through both its walk-in business and its direct-to-consumer digital business.

With a strong culture of innovation and a relentless focus on utilizing technology to deliver the world’s best customer experience, MoneyGram is leading the evolution of digital P2P payments.

For more information, please visit MoneyGram.com and follow @MoneyGram.

About Ooredoo
Ooredoo is Qatar’s leading communications company, delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.

MoneyGram Media Contact
Stephen Reiff
media@moneygram.com

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1167116/MoneyGram_Phone_App.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/600838/MoneyGram_International_Logo.jpg

SOURCE MoneyGram

NEW YORK, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — More than 85 percent of families living in rural areas across Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras face food insecurity, according to a household survey conducted by a coalition of humanitarian and development organizations, including Action Against Hunger, a leader in the global fight against hunger. Two additional surveys conducted by the organization in Colombia and Peru also indicate alarmingly high levels of hunger as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, more than 39% of people in Central America suffered from food insecurity, and new data suggests the pandemic and extreme weather could cause this number to triple in many parts of this region.

«Although Latin America has more than 19 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, the people we serve say they are more afraid of hunger than the virus,» said Miguel García, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director for Central America. «Those who depended on informal daily labor have lost their incomes because of movement restrictions. In the markets, food is increasingly expensive because of the pandemic’s economic and commercial consequences.»  

One of the most critical areas is known as the Dry Corridor, which extends from Nicaragua to Guatemala and includes parts of El Salvador and Honduras, where the World Food Program says at least 1.4 million people are in need of food assistance. Action Against Hunger and its partners surveyed thousands of households in this region in October and November 2020. In one sample of 3,700 homes, 86% of families were experiencing food insecurity.

Adding to the socioeconomic damage caused by the pandemic are the impacts of severe drought in 2018 and 2019, along with hurricanes Iota and Eta, which hit the region in November 2020 and caused displacement and crop loss. Families faced with extreme poverty and hunger have gone into debt, resorted to borrowing from family or friends, or are selling their scarce possessions.

«Government protection programs for people in the worst socioeconomic situations can prevent millions of people from falling into misery. Yet, the roll out of these programs has been extremely uneven across the region, and millions of people not getting the support they need, including nutritious food,» García explained.

Action Against Hunger and its partners, with the support of the European Union, has set up a support network that has provided food assistance and prevented more than 50,000 people in rural communities in the Dry Corridor from reaching emergency hunger levels.

Additional new data shows increasing poverty and hunger in Colombia and Peru as well. In a separate survey of 34,000 families in Colombia, 98% said they could not meet all of their basic needs, including food and housing. The tight living conditions among migrant families also increases the potential spread of COVID-19. The survey of Colombians, Venezuelans and bi-nationals living in Colombia was conducted by Action Against Hunger and its partners over the course of the pandemic, from April 2020 through January 2021.

«More than 58% reported living in overcrowded conditions,» said John Orlando, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Colombia. «13% of the time, as many as five people are forced to share a tiny bedroom.»

In Peru, household incomes have fallen by an average of 33%. The «common pots» (or «ollas communes») – self-managed community kitchens that are primarily run by women – have become an escape from hunger for thousands of Peruvians.

«According to our survey of 222 families in metropolitan Lima, 8 out of 10 families saw their incomes fall. Three out of four of those surveyed are food insecure. Venezuelan families, large numbers of whom have arrived seeking refuge in recent years, are particularly impacted,» América Arias, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Peru, noted. «Especially worrying is reduced iron in diets, which is key to fighting anemia.»

Cash assistance is one of the most effective humanitarian interventions in this crisis. «On the one hand, it is a dignified alternative, which gives people the option of how to address their most urgent needs,» said Orlando. «Well-run cash transfer programs also allow the most vulnerable to engage with the local economy. This injection of cash in the marketplace also strengthens the local economies in the communities where these families live.»

Action Against Hunger is calling for $78 million from the international community to fund its three-pronged regional response that includes:

• Humanitarian relief for families by providing food and cash assistance, treatment for malnutrition, as well as hygiene materials and protective equipment for COVID-19 prevention.
• Community support by strengthening health systems and clinics and small business support to stimulate job creation.
• Data collection and analysis to assess the distinctive drivers of hunger on a local level and tailor interventions with local partners.

«We want to step up as a safety net of last resort for the thousands of people who are going hungry as a result of the pandemic. We are trying to improve nutrition and access to water, and help people get their livelihoods back. We’re going to work tirelessly to achieve this,» said Benedetta Lettera, Desk Officer for Action Against Hunger’s programs in Latin America.

More Details

Action Against Hunger conducted three separate surveys to measure growing hunger in Latin America:

• In Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, Action Against Hunger, together with our partners, Oxfam, COOPI, Trócaire, and We World-GVC, surveyed 3,700 families between October 20 – November 13, 2020.
• In Columbia, 34,000 Colombians, Venezuelans and bi-nationals were surveyed by phone or in person between April 2020 through January 2021. This study was conducted by Action Against Hunger, Danish Refugee Council, and Norwegian Refugee Council.
• Finally, 222 families in metropolitan Lima, Peru, were surveyed by Action Against Hunger between September 14 – December 11, 2020

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is the world’s hunger specialist and leader in a global movement that aims to end life-threatening hunger for good within our lifetimes. For more than 40 years, the humanitarian and development organization has been on the front lines, treating and preventing hunger across nearly 50 countries. It served more than 17 million people in 2019 alone.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452004/Action_Against_Hunger_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Action Against Hunger