The UPS Foundation has entered into a public-private partnership with robotics company Zipline and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to explore the deployment of drones to deliver humanitarian aid such as blood and vaccines.

According to UPS, the foundation has awarded a US$800,000 grant to support the initial launch of the project 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.”

Later this year, the Rwandan government will start using Zipline drones to make up to 150 deliveries of blood per day to 21 transfusing facilities in the western half of the country.

These blood transfusions are particularly important for women suffering from postpartum haemorrhaging, which the World Health Organization says causes more maternal deaths in Africa than anywhere else in the world.

“The inability to deliver life-saving medicines to the people who need them the most causes millions of preventable deaths each year,” said Keller Rinaudo, CEO of Zipline. “The work of this partnership will help solve that problem once and for all. 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.”

The companies plan to expand the initiative to include vaccines, treatments for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as other life-saving medicines, according to UPS.