Rwanda Drone Network is Potential Model for
Other Countries
MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - 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 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, chief executive
officer, 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 Keller Rinaudo, chief executive officer,
Zipline. "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
SOURCE UPS Canada Ltd.