Fintech specialists and advocates of cashless growth, B4B Payments is lending its technological support to The Salvation Army in its vital work to support recovering victims of modern slavery, by working with the organisation on cashless payment technology.
The firm is placing a heightened emphasis on prepaid cards, which can boost efficiency in donations for The Salvation Army.
The collaboration is seeking to roll out its prepaid cards among victims for whom cash is an insecure method of payment. The rapid introduction of this new technology is one of many measures The Salvation Army and its partners have initiated, with backing from the Home Office, to adapt the way support is provided to victims of modern slavery in its care.
Major Kathy, Betteridge, Director of Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army stated: “Even in these challenging times with coronavirus, The Salvation Army and our partners are doing all we can so that victims have the best care possible, to keep them safe and help them continue their recovery.
“Bringing forward the roll-out of prepaid cards has been one of the key adaptations we’ve successfully introduced in recent weeks to help survivors of slavery as they not only begin to live independently but also supporting them to do this within Government guidelines, to protect them from infection.
“The Salvation Army’s Victim Care Fund has made a contribution of £20,000 from its charitable resources to make sure we could get the prepaid cards to the vulnerable people in our care as quickly as possible.
“We recognise the extraordinary demands on our staff, volunteers and partners, and want to thank them all, along with suppliers like B4B Payments, for stepping up in their rapid response to a fast-moving situation which has been exceptional and deserves commendation.”
The use of prepaid cards enables The Salvation Army to minimise face to face contact during the coronavirus pandemic in delivering subsistence payments to victims of modern slavery.
B4B Payments CEO Paul Swinton added: “It has been hugely rewarding to provide our services to The Salvation Army because they’re tackling some of the biggest social problems in the world today. Financial inclusion is an issue that cuts across so many different areas including Modern Slavery, domestic abuse, people trafficking and homelessness, and it is vital that we as a financial technology company do our bit to innovate and help the less fortunate.”
