UST PARTNER WITH PATH

UST Global partners with PATH to support global health initiatives

Press release

Contacts: Jaci Robbins, UST Global, 949.600.5597, jaci.robbins@ust-global.com; Gena Morgan, PATH, 206.285.3500, media@path.org

UST Global will provide funding and volunteers for immunization projects to save children’s lives

Aliso Viejo, CA, and Seattle, WA, August 27, 2008—UST Global^SM (UST), a leading provider of information technology services and solutions for Global 2000 enterprises, announced today that it has made a commitment to provide both funding and volunteers for several immunization projects that will be launched and managed by PATH, an international nonprofit organization that works in more than 70 countries to improve global health. PATH’s mission is to improve the health of people around the world by advancing technologies, strengthening systems, and encouraging healthy behaviors.
UST Global believes that enterprises have a responsibility to society and is committed to improving the lives of its associates both in the cities where it operates and the communities where its associates live. Partnering with an organization such as PATH is a very effective way to help improve the health of those who need it most.
“Being involved in something greater than ourselves and helping people less fortunate are two values that bond together the shareholders of UST,” said Sajan Pillai, CEO of UST Global. “In searching to make a greater global impact with our resources, we have decided to partner with PATH as the conduit for our philanthropic initiative. It is a wonderful organization that aligns well with core UST values.”
“We are very pleased to be partnering with UST Global as PATH continues its vital work in India,” said Dr. Christopher J. Elias, PATH’s president and CEO. “The company’s valuable support will help to extend the reach of important vaccines to children and protect them from illness. In addition, UST Global’s corporate philanthropy efforts are a great model for how businesses and nongovernmental organizations like PATH can work together to improve global health.”
For its first projects, UST has selected two upcoming PATH immunization programs aimed at assisting women and children in India, where UST has operations and a significant employee base. UST Global employees have initiated a volunteer fundraising drive that will coincide with a corporate donation to make a positive impact on these programs.

Project will expand routine immunizations for women and children

In the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, more than two million women and children each year now get the protection they need from deadly diseases, thanks to a partnership between the Government of Andhra Pradesh and PATH to increase immunization coverage rates and introduce hepatitis B vaccine. The program has proven so successful that ten other states and the national government are emulating it with plans to deliver lifesaving vaccines to millions more women and children.
One of the projects UST plans to support is a three-year, statewide routine immunization project that will potentially take place in Gujarat, a state in west India. Similar to PATH’s work in Andhra Pradesh, this immunization project will be conducted in partnership between PATH and the Government of Gujarat. The project is scheduled to commence in January 2009.
UST Global will provide additional program funding to PATH and the Government of Gujarat to support:

• Community mobilization activities using banners, posters, booklets, and other materials to create awareness about the importance of immunizing children.
• Development of training kits for project staff and volunteers.

In addition, UST Global will co-fund a media program in Gujarat to increase community awareness about the project and the benefits of regular immunizations. The program will air regional advertisements and social messages on local television and radio stations and display messages on billboards across the state to reach a large population.

UST staff to volunteer with Japanese encephalitis immunization program

In September 2008, the state government of Kerala, India, in collaboration with the Government of India and PATH, will conduct a program to immunize children ages one to five against Japanese encephalitis (JE)—a brain disease that kills thousands of children every year and disables many more. PATH has been a leader in the fight against JE since the early 2000s.
UST Global employees will volunteer with the JE program, working closely with community health workers to mobilize and motivate families and communities to participate in the program and bring their children to the vaccination centers.

About PATH

PATH is an international nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps provide appropriate health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and act. PATH’s work improves global health and well-being. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, PATH has 35 offices in 20 countries. PATH currently works in more than 70 countries in the areas of health technologies, maternal and child health, reproductive health, vaccines and immunization, and emerging and epidemic diseases.