NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, May 1, 2015

A perennial problem in dealing with humanitarian disasters is that even when armies of donors step forward to provide help, that help often can’t get to those who need it because of a host of logistical problems—ranging from destroyed infrastructure to poor coordination.

Just as generals know that so much of war boils down to logistics, humanitarians know the same thing. Aid is of little use if it piles up in warehouses.

The challenges facing relief efforts for Nepal, the landlocked and mountainous country that’s been devastated by a huge earthquake, are particularly great. Which is why it’s good to know that the UPS Foundation is stepping up to lend a hand, announcing earlier this week that it will provide both cash and logistical support to aid Nepal’s recovery.

Of course, other foundations are contributing to Nepal relief efforts, too, including the Ford Foundation, the Metlife Foundation, the Kellogg Company Fund, and the Ikea Foundation. But none of these funders have what UPS does: The world’s largest infrastructure for moving cargo, and fast.