Accenture Gives $1.5 Million to Aidmatrix to Support Expansion of Global Relief Network
Grant to help Aidmatrix deliver urgent aid to people in need more quickly, efficiently
NEW YORK; February 26, 2007 – Accenture(a) (NYSE:ACN) today announced a $1.5 million grant from the Accenture Foundations to Aidmatrix to further the non-profit organization’s innovative Global Relief Network. Aidmatrix leverages the power of technology and relationships with more than 35,000 charitable organizations to deliver critical aid – food, clothing, building supplies, medical and educational supplies – to people in need more quickly and efficiently.
The $1.5 million grant, the second given to Aidmatrix by the Accenture Foundations over the past three years, will support Aidmatrix’s deployment of technology to at least 15 different humanitarian organizations in more than eight countries on at least three continents.
In tandem with the technology solutions, the Accenture Foundations’ grant will support the development of resources and tools that are culturally-appropriate and country-specific. Such support will assist relief organizations in areas including warehouse management, volunteer coordination solutions and in-kind donations management solutions to help ensure there are no local or cultural barriers preventing aid from getting to those who need it most.
In addition to the Accenture Foundations’ financial support, Accenture’s grant allows for in-kind services support of Aidmatrix’s efforts. Specifically, Accenture will offer its employees the opportunity to lend consulting skills and technical expertise on both a pro-bono and volunteer basis worldwide to Aidmatrix. To-date, several hundred Accenture volunteers globally have assisted Aidmatrix in various ways – including training warehouse personnel on the Global Relief Network solution and testing the effectiveness of the technology solutions in disaster relief simulations.
“In the last decade, the global business community has made tremendous gains in supply chain productivity and effectiveness. We are pleased to be able to provide financial support and business acumen to Aidmatrix, which is recognized as one of the world’s leading, not-for-profit technology organizations working toward better integration and efficiency of humanitarian efforts,” said Jill Huntley, director of corporate citizenship at Accenture. “We can all appreciate the critical role organizations like Aidmatrix play in helping address the global problem of disaster and hunger relief; Accenture is glad to have the opportunity to be aligned with such a critically important mission. “
By combining proven supply chain management and Internet technology with collaborative relationships with the business and non-profit sectors, Aidmatrix helps mobilize aid to people who are suffering as a result of poverty or disaster, using supply chain capabilities to help international, regional and local agencies more efficiently deliver critical supplies to the people who need it most. In 2006, Aidmatrix helped organizations around the world feed more than 25 million people on six continents.
“Accenture has served as a valuable corporate partner of Aidmatrix for more than four years, and we’re proud to have their continued generous support and proven business acumen,” said former Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum, Aidmatrix president and CEO. “The ultimate goal of the Global Relief Network is to one day effectively link all organizations and every government agency – from Chad to Cambodia to Chile – to respond to disasters in real-time.”
This second grant from the Accenture Foundations builds on the successes of the first grant given in 2004, which supported the development and piloting of some of Aidmatrix’s innovative technology solutions. One such solution is the Aidmatrix Online Relief Warehouse, which connected more than 200 non-profits and government agencies, for the first time, across states affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. The system allowed relief organizations and government agencies to instantly track the location and amount of relief supplies available in warehouses dispersed across six states, enabling the organizations to deliver more than 12 million pounds of supplies to people devastated by the hurricanes.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills, and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With approximately 146,000 people in 49 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$16.65 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2006. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
About Aidmatrix Aidmatrix helps charitable organizations alleviate human suffering by mobilizing resources and orchestrating the Right Aid to the Right People at the Right Time™. It is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit governed by a voluntary board of directors including captains of industry and the nonprofit sector. Founded as a program of the i2 Foundation a half decade ago, it mobilizes more than $1.5 billion dollars in aid annually working with more than 35,000 charities worldwide. It partners with corporations including i2 Technologies, Accenture, Sun Microsystems, Alcatel, Dell, BEA Systems and others to engage employees and the public in its innovative mission. See www.aidmatrix.org for more information.
Laura Ryan
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