MOHAMED the Uniter
I just returned from my first visit to India since the pandemic began, and I am excited by the country’s growth potential. I was thrilled to see the progress on multiple fronts. I spoke with fellow airplane passengers, vehicle drivers, store owners, and waiters in Kolkata, Siliguri, Thiruvananthapuram, and Bengaluru, and I felt a sense of optimism.
Several recent magazine reports suggest that India has turbocharged the world’s third-largest startup scene, after America’s and China’s. Its new 4G/5G technology and other advances are positioning the county to be a major exporter of telecom technology in the near future. Its attractiveness as a manufacturing location has risen. Most importantly, a new digital voucher system for accessing government social services and support is “seen as a way to spot potential gaps in the existing welfare payments infrastructure and fix them,” according to The Hindu. That India has found a way to distribute more to ordinary folk is great news.
Amid all this progress, one issue troubled me. Many of my friends expressed deep concern about increasing polarization, increasing violence towards minority populations, and increasing intolerance in general. This stands in contrast to the India in which I grew up. According to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, “Indians see religious tolerance as a central part of who they are as a nation.” This national survey, conducted via 30,000 face-to-face interviews, found that “across the major religious groups, most people say it is very important to respect all religions to be ‘truly Indian’” and that “Indians are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community.”
I sincerely hope this view prevails, as it is critical to the growth of the country.
Hearing my friends’ concerns made me think about my friend Mohamed. Mohamed Ousri was born in Morocco, into a Muslim family. I met him during my time as CEO of SOS Children’s Villages, and it was an instant connection. I had my first glimpse of his true character when Mohamed and I traveled together by road in Morocco. I got to know a person from a humble background who worked very hard and built a diversified business portfolio but never forgot his roots. I saw a man who believed that every human being has the potential to grow if they have the right tools. I got to know a committed husband and a father of two beautiful children — Sammy and Sarah. Our connection was rooted in basic human values. His love and dedication for his family, his love for the country of his birth and for his adopted country, the United States — and most importantly, his idea of giving back — touched me deeply. Mohamed is a self-made, entrepreneurial businessman and philanthropist with a passion for making a difference in underprivileged communities around the world.
While Mohamed has never visited India, he decided a few years ago to fund the construction of several children’s homes throughout India, which now provide shelter to close to 250 children and youth who were previously living on the streets. He said, “It does not matter if these homes are run by Christian or Hindu or Muslim or Jewish organizations. All children must have a safe home, love, and good education.”
I have dedicated some of my time to support his vision to build more homes for children in India, Morocco and elsewhere to unite people of all faiths to do something for vulnerable children and youth. We are now working with Atlas Kinder in Switzerland to build a new village in Morocco. Mohamed and I fully support the vision and the five pillars of Atlas Kinder.
The example set by people like Mohamed should encourage leaders and policy makers all over the world to look at vulnerable children and youth not as Hindu children, Christian children, Muslim children, or Jewish children but as our children.
Lesson from Mohamed Ousri: Humility is the true key to success
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Neil Ghosh, president of MGR Professional Services, advisor to Ousri Family Foundation, and former chief executive officer of SOS Children’s Villages USA, is an advocate for vulnerable children and climate action. He focuses on advancing nimble and agile cross-sector collaboration systems to foster sustainable development.
