UBI Banca announces the issue of the solidarity bond loan (Social Bond) "UBI Community for the Rita-Levi Montalcini Foundation Onlus”, for a total amount of 20 million euros, the proceeds of which will be donated in part as a donation to the Rita-Levi Montalcini Onlus Foundation which will use the contribution for the realization of specific projects for the education and training of African women , aimed at job placement and socio-economic development.
The projects supported by UBI Banca will make it possible to offer a total of 93 African women the opportunity to attend training courses aimed at acquiring the professionalism and skills necessary to achieve economic independence and overcome the traditional and still persistent situation of social marginalization. In particular, the first project, lasting three years and carried out in collaboration with the Community of Sant'Egidio, provides for a computer literacy course for 20 women held in the prisons of Beira in Mozambique; the second, lasting two years and carried out in collaboration with ACRA-CCS, concerns the professional training of 73 girls (aged 13 to 17) through an innovative methodology based on the establishment of agricultural micro-enterprises (horticulture, breeding) within the Professional College of Njombe in Tanzania. These micro-enterprises represent a learning "platform" for female students who, once they have finished their studies, will be able to start their own business or contribute to the family-run agricultural business.
The bonds "UBI Community for the Rita-Levi Montalcini Foundation Onlus", issued by UBI Banca, have a minimum subscription denomination of 1.000 euro, duration of 2 years, six-monthly coupon, gross annual rate of 1,50% and may be subscribed from 13st July to 2014th August 100.000, subject to early termination or extension of the offer period. The bonds are not intended for listing on any regulated market or multilateral trading system: they will be traded by the placers in direct exchange as part of the proprietary trading service. The rate of return on the Social Bond is in line with the yield on similar bonds issued by UBI Banca and on government bonds with the same duration. The total contribution donated to the Rita Levi-Montalcini Onlus Foundation, as a donation, can reach up to 12 euros in the event of subscription of the entire nominal amount of the bonds involved in the offer. It is also possible to support the Rita-Levi Montalcini Onlus Foundation directly, with a bank transfer to the current account (IBAN IT 0350003205000000037544 XXNUMX) at UBI Banco di Brescia, or via Qui UBI Internet Banking ("Solidarity Transfers" function) with zero transaction fees.
"Rita Levi-Montalcini's intelligence, pragmatism, experience and imagination communicated to us the full meaning of the Foundation's mission" he said Biancamaria Bosco Tedeschini Lalli, president of the Rita Levi-Montalcini Onlus Foundation. “African women, not unlike women from all over the world, can and must make use of a precise female culture which itself must be protected and exploited in substantial terms of insertion and action in its own territory. The empowerment of women is therefore an essential part of their own training, education and specialization. Awareness and the ability to exploit this function is also an integral part of education at all levels. The support of the UBI Banca Group once again confirms the importance of the mission we have inherited, the fight in favor of education and gender exclusion can now also be supported thanks to social responsibility initiatives, evidence of a possible dialogue between economic actors and the third sector".
Rossella Leidi, Deputy General Manager of UBI Banca he stated: “UBI Banca greatly appreciated both the project and the concreteness of the approach of the Rita Levi-Montalcini Onlus Foundation. We believe that the clear purpose of introducing women to work thanks to professional training will be able to effectively affect the social fabric, generating cultural and socio-economic growth capable of consolidating and bearing fruit in a permanent way”.
The introduction of Social Bonds in Italy is part of the Third Sector support strategy pursued by the UBI Bank Group through UBI Community, a platform of services and tools dedicated, inter alia, to non-profit organizations and religious institutions. UBI Community is an innovative service model that aims to offer timely and effective responses to the needs of the non-profit through products specifically designed to provide banking and credit support for the daily management of the activity, planning and investments.
