“Money must serve, not rule. Money does not have a neutral value, but acquires value according to the aims and the circumstances in which it is used.”
— His Holiness Pope Francis
Taking up the challenge of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato sì’, The 2019 Laudato sì Challenge seeks to address forced displacement by empowering one million people to “be the protagonist in their own solution” by 2021 — supporting the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals “as a human dignity narrative, that leaves no one behind.”To achieve that vision, we leverage “Commitments to Impact,” new, specific, measurable and accountable commitments that align private sector objectives with public sector and faith sector impact outcomes.
The Laudato Si Impact Awards were announced in Vatican City during the 2019 Laudato Si Challenge on December 5th, 2019 recognizing to extraordinary individuals – and enterprises that fulfill five key criteria:
- VISION – Has a fearlessly bold vision for moving humanity forward.
- IMPACT – Relentless in their “pursuit of impact” on behalf of the lives of the vulnerable people and our Common Home.
- CONGRUENCE – Their business aligns with their personal mission. They are one and the same.
- INTEGRITY – They always do the right thing, even when it’s hard.
- DIGNITY – It’s not just what they do; it’s how they do it. They treat all people equally—in their personal lives, and particularly in business—with respect, kindness, and dignity. They serve as role models for all of us.
Uulala was the first enterprise selected for the Laudato Si Impact Award, based on the organization’s mission, vision, values, and most importantly actions to support the world’s most vulnerable. Uulala is a mission-driven organization to facilitate and accelerate the financial inclusion of the under-banked and unbanked population across the Americas. Uulala provides a complete financial ecosystem to positively impact the lives of millions of low-income individuals, migrants and refugees around the world through the implementation of financial technology designed to empower, elevate, and sustain the financial future of its users. No longer do the poorest among us have to bear the burden of poverty cycle economics based on their credit and economic stature.
Uulala creates seamless access to prioritized services for the underbanked through the use of the Uulala mobile application, where individuals can receive their paychecks, top-up their phone minutes, pay their utility bills, transfer money to friends or family, gain access to a Visa/MasterCard and build credit. Uulala becomes the step-up mechanism for individuals to gain access to the formal economy.
“At our gathering in Rome, we were blessed to have Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, Coordinator of the Sector of “Ecology and Creation” at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, discuss Laudato si’ in-depth. He spoke beautifully about the need to ‘hear the cry of the poor’. Uulala is a business that grew from the tears of its CEO, Oscar Garcia. This special enterprise–and its values-driven founders–are putting the principles of Laudato si’ into action. They are on a sacred journey, and we stand in solidarity with them to achieve their vision of building a world that leaves no one behind.” –Eric Harr, Founder & CEO, The Laudato si’ Challenge
“It is truly an honor to not only just be called to this global convening of change-makers across public, private, and faith-based sectors deploying technology, investment, services and support for the worlds most vulnerable but to be honored for the impactful work our firm has been doing and will continue to execute on” – Oscar Garcia CEO, Uulala.
About Uulala
Uulala is a mission-driven organization to facilitate and accelerate the financial inclusion of the under-banked and unbanked population across the Americas. Uulala provides a complete financial ecosystem to positively impact the lives of millions of low-income individuals, migrants and refugees around the world through the implementation of financial technology designed to empower, elevate, and sustain the financial future of its users. No longer do the poorest among us have to bear the burden of poverty cycle economics based on their credit and economic stature. https://uulala.io/