UPS Creates Global Partnership With Zipline and Gavi to Transform Delivery of Humanitarian Aid and Life-Saving Vaccines With...
09 May 2016 - 2:01PM
The UPS Foundation (NYSE: UPS) today announced a partnership with
Zipline, a California-based robotics company, and Gavi, the
Vaccine Alliance, to explore using drones to transform the way
life-saving medicines like blood and vaccines are delivered across
the world.
All too often, critical health products spoil or fail to reach
the individuals who urgently need them. This public-private
partnership combines a century of global logistics expertise, cold
chain and healthcare delivery from UPS with Zipline’s national
drone delivery network and Gavi’s experience in developing
countries focused on saving lives and protecting health in the most
remote places of the world.
The UPS Foundation has awarded an $800,000 grant to support the
initial launch of this initiative in Rwanda.
“Public-private partnerships are the key to solving many of the
world’s challenges, with each partner contributing its unique
expertise,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation
and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS. “UPS is always
exploring innovative ways to enhance humanitarian logistics to help
save lives, and we’re proud to partner with Gavi and Zipline as we
explore ways to extend the Rwandan government’s innovations at a
global scale.”
Starting later this year, the Rwandan government will begin
using Zipline drones, which can make up to 150 deliveries per day
of life-saving blood to 21 transfusing facilities located in the
western half of the country. According to the WHO1, Africa has the
highest rate in the world of maternal death due to postpartum
hemorrhaging, which makes access to lifesaving blood transfusions
critically important for women across the continent.
“Our partnership with UPS and Zipline is an exciting step into a
new territory for the delivery of medical supplies,” said Dr. Seth
Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “It is a totally
different way of delivering vaccines to remote communities and we
are extremely interested to learn if UAVs can provide a safe,
effective way to make vaccines available for some of the
hardest-to-reach children.”
While Rwanda’s national drone network is initially focused on
the delivery of blood supplies, the plan is to expand the
initiative to include vaccines, treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria,
tuberculosis, and many other essential and lifesaving medicines.
Rwanda’s drone delivery operation is expected to save thousands of
lives over the next three years and could serve as a model for
other countries.
“The inability to deliver life-saving medicines to the people
who need them the most causes millions of preventable deaths each
year. The work of this partnership will help solve that problem
once and for all,” said Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo. “With the
expertise and vision of UPS, Gavi and Zipline, instant drone
delivery will allow us to save thousands of lives in a way that was
never before possible.”
About The UPS Foundation
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a
broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages
and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the
deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the
world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a
legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting
programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs.
Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation leads its global citizenship
programs and is responsible for facilitating community involvement
to local, national, and global communities. In 2015, UPS and its
employees, active and retired, invested more than $110 million in
charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found
on the web at UPS.com/Foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit
pressroom.ups.com/RSS.
About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership
committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health
by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries.
The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor
governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank,
the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners.
Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by
recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate
supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the
immunization of an additional 500 million children and the
prevention of approximately 7 million future deaths.
Zipline International, Inc.
Zipline is a robotics company based in California. The company
works with governments to provide reliable access to medical
products at the last mile. Zipline’s long-term mission is to build
instant delivery for the planet, allowing medicines and other
products to be delivered on demand and without using a drop of
gasoline. Zipline is supported by some of the smartest investors in
the world, including: Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, SV Angel,
Subtraction Capital, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen, and Stanford University.
[1]Statistic cited in speech given by Dr. Margaret Chan,
Director-General of the World Health Organization, on 3/1/2016.
Source: Carroli G, Cuesta C, Abalos E, Gulmezoglu AM. Epidemiology
of postpartum haemorrhage: a systematic review. Best Practice &
Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2008 22:999-1012.
Glenn Zaccara
404-828-4663
gzaccara@ups.com
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