News release

HP Wins International Corporate Conscience Award

HP Brazil Earns Award in Innovative Partnership Category for Its Digital Garage Project

HP Brazil, a wholly owned subsidiary of HP (NYSE:HPQ), yesterday won a “2002 Corporate Conscience Award” (CCA) in the Innovative Partnership category for its Digital Garage project. The award is given by Social Accountability International (SAI), a U.S. non-governmental organization that is a pioneer in the area of social responsibility and corporate ethics, aiming to acknowledge the efforts of corporations that promote the well being of their employees and of the communities in which they operate. An independent evaluating committee made up of leaders in corporate conscience selected HP Brazil.

The Innovative Partnership category of the CCA, which has been granted for the 16th time, acknowledges social initiatives, carried out by means of partnerships, whose results can be easily verified. HP Brazil was the only company in Brazil among the winners. Its Digital Garage project models HP’s worldwide strategy of collaborating with the communities where it operates to accelerate sustainable social, economic and environmental development through the transfer of relevant technology and information skills.

“HP is honored to be recognized for the important work we and our partners are doing through the Digital Garage program,” stated Carlos Ribeiro, president, HP Brazil. “Each day the Digital Garage project benefits people from less privileged backgrounds by helping them develop their potential through the use of technology.”

Carried out jointly with Abrinq Foundation, Learning City School Association (Associação Cidade Escola Aprendiz) and Morumbi Boys’ Association (Associação Meninos do Morumbi), HP Brazil’s Digital Garage project works to decrease inequalities of opportunity.

The project offers young people from less privileged backgrounds the tools to develop self-esteem, creativity, sociability, entrepreneurship, leadership, citizenship, teamwork and IT skills.

In addition to sponsoring the Digital Garage project, HP participates in it in a hands-on fashion. Many employees volunteer as tutors and mentors for the young people, and HP Brazil’s president, Carlos Ribeiro, is a member of the project’s board of directors, which holds monthly meetings.

“The award is very important because it brings visibility to what is a great challenge of social programs: building partnerships. The Learning City School Association strongly believes that to overcome the challenges facing Brazilian youth, which include problems such as violence and drugs, depends on the participation of the whole society. The award clearly demonstrates that the partners in the project are going the right way,” said Fernando Rossetti, director, Learning City School Association.

“The annual Corporate Conscience Awards acknowledge the strength of the relationship among HP, Abrinq Foundation, Learning City School Association and Morumbi Boys’ Association. It underscores the extraordinary potential of the collaborative work between businesses and entities of organized civil society walking hand-in-hand along a path of experimentation of social solutions and technologies. These, adopted as systematized models, can be disseminated to have a significant, positive social impact. Whether incorporated by other social entities or by exerting an influence on public policy, these projects can decisively contribute to the common goal of ensuring the rights and full protection of our children and adolescents, as established by the UN convention, the Brazilian Constitution and the Statute of Children and Adolescents,” said Helio Mattar, president, Abrinq Foundation.

“The award acknowledges our partnership in the area of education. With the active participation of HP and the Morumbi Boys’ Association, we have created a differentiated learning context for young people whose ideas have been turned into action through art and technology,” said Flávio Pimenta, director president, Morumbi Boys’ Association.

More information about the Digital Garage project is available at http://www.hp.com.br/institucional/respsocial/garagem_digital/.

More information about SAI and CCA is available at http://www.sa-intl.org/.

About HP

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corp. on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.