Peer Water Exchange Honored At Global Information Technology Awards

Blue Planet Run Foundation’s solution to the problem of managing thousands of diverse grassroots water projects across the globe, has been recognized as a Laureate by the Computerworld Honors Program. This year’s Honorees will be commemorated during the 19th Annual Laureates Medal Ceremony and Gala Awards Evening on June 4, 2007.

Built by Sapient, the collaborative PWX network funds, manages, and monitors water and sanitation projects worldwide. PWX makes the funding process efficient, effective, and transparent. Today, fourteen NGO partners are responsible for reviewing, rating and overseeing each others applications and projects. This ensures that organizations transparently learn from one another, share expertise, and support collective success.

By conducting all of its business online, PWX replaces bureaucracy with technology and helps the Blue Planet Run Foundation work toward its goal of providing safe drinking water to 20 million people for the rest of their lives by 2015. Moreover, the system guarantees that one-hundred percent of all donations raised by the Blue Planet Run Foundation are dispersed with little-to-no over-head cost.

“The Peer Water Exchange system is the Blue Planet Run Foundation’s contribution to the water sector: an innovative technology and process platform that addresses the biggest stumbling block in global rural development – the inability to scale. PWX has proven itself to be a successful method for fund distribution and a model to address the problem of scale,” said Rajesh Shah, Vice President, Blue Planet Run Foundation. “As our commitment to raise greater amounts of funds increases yearly, so too can our partner network of implementers grow to jointly select, fund, manage, and evaluate tens of thousands of diverse grassroots projects around the world, ensuring the efficient and transparent distribution of every last cent.”

Each year, members of the Chairmen's Committee, a group of 100 Chairman/CEOs of global technology, nominates individuals and organizations around the world whose visionary applications of information technology promotes positive social and economic progress.

Independent of the Laureate recognition, the Computerworld Honors Program also annually presents its Leadership Awards, each designed to honor the extraordinary achievements of selected individuals whose positive contributions to the IT revolution have left an indelible mark on the world.

“Each Laureate selected for this honor understands the importance of using one’s resources and technical prowess to benefit one’s fellow man,” said Bob Carrigan, Chairman of the Computerworld Honors Program Chairmen’s Committee and President, IDG Communications.

About the Blue Planet Run Foundation

Blue Planet Run Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the need for safe drinking water, and funding working solutions today for the billion people living without water.

The U.S.-based foundation funds non-governmental organizations worldwide to implement water and sanitation projects worldwide. The Foundation’s signature awareness and fundraising event is the Blue Planet Run, the first-ever around-the-world relay.

For more information about the Blue Planet Run Foundation, or to make a donation, please visit http://www.blueplanetrun.org. The Peer Water Exchange can be seen at http://www.peerwater.org.

Blue Planet Run is a registered trademark of the Blue Planet Run Foundation.

About Sapient

Sapient helps clients innovate their businesses in the areas of marketing, business operations and technology. Leveraging a unique approach, breakthrough thinking, and disciplined execution, Sapient leads its industry in delivering the right business results on time and on budget. Sapient works with clients that are driven to make a difference, including BP, Essent Energie, Harrah’s Entertainment, Hilton International, Janus, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Sony Electronics, the U.S. Marine Corps, and Verizon. Founded in 1990, Sapient is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and operates across North America, Europe, and India. More information about Sapient can be found at www.sapient.com.

Sapient is a registered service mark of Sapient Corporation.

About Computerworld

Computerworld is recognized worldwide as the premier source for news, information and opinion on the critical technology and management issues affecting senior technology professionals. Computerworld’s award-winning weekly publication, Computerworld.com Web site, focused conference series and custom research, form the hub of the world’s largest (58-edition) global IT media network. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 awards, including the 2004 and 2006 Magazine of the Year Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and Folio Magazine’s 2006 Gold EDDIE Award for the best technology/computing magazine. Computerworld has an online audience of over 2.2 million unique monthly visitors (Omniture) and a total print audience of 1,337,000 (IntelliQuest CIMS Spring 2006). Computerworld is on the Web at www.computerworld.com.

Computerworld is a business unit of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading technology media, research and events company. A privately held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers, including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites, with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide, including Storage Networking World®, Premier 100®, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo®, Macworld Conference & Expo, DEMO® and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.