How We Got Started?
“Mother Is A Light For Future Pass”
I established a charitable foundation in 1980 in commemoration of my father, the late Haj Hossein Mohammadi, to keep his good name alive and express my gratitude towards his efforts. Ever since then, for God’s satisfaction and to accomplish my humanitarian and social duty to serve my beloved country, I have provided some services to my hometown village and other regions in Fars Province, to the extent of my power not my dreams. These services can include water supply, building health center and emergency clinic, renovation and restoration of Behesht-e Zahra, roads, bridges, school and morgue construction, asphalting road passing inside the villages, planting trees along local roads, installing digital call-to-prayer systems in more than one hundred mosques and places, establishing charity garden and place of worship for servants of God, providing financial support for university students and women’s entrepreneurship in villages (Carpet Weaving and etc.). These activities are still ongoing.
I was thinking for a long time that what can I do for my mother that deserves her? Should I build a school, a clinic, a charity or a place in the name of my mother in order to appreciate her high position?
During these three years, I consulted with friends and intellectuals on the subject, I felt the highness and valuable position and also the sacredness of a mother cannot be limited in a place.
The name, position and spiritual values of a mother is higher than a building and wider than one place, one time and even a date.
Just as God placed the paradise under the feet of mothers and during these few years my mind and soul were engaged in this matter. At first I decided to build an all-girls school or a mother care clinic but I thought it would be so small towards my mother’s position, until one day I encountered a helpless mother and I told myself… my mother has me, who has this mother in her life? A spark came to my mind that I should do something for mothers. All mothers are my mothers and this feeling penetrated in my mind and soul. I thought about it for a long time and I studied the pros and cons and I also consulted with my friends.
On May 2014 I asked my mother “What’s your birthday?”
“I can’t remember. Take a look at my birth certificate” she replied.
I felt the love in my mother's eyes and passion in my heart. I took a look at my mother’s birth certificate – she was born on October 1931 -- It was like finding the missing one I was looking for. That day was spent with indescribable passion and love until the next morning. I was talking to myself, whispering and I was happy. I told myself that my mother is an excuse and as a birthday party and the expression of my gratitude towards her, I could have a practical plan for the goals and dream I had for all mothers over the years. My thoughts and concerns relaxed slightly. In different ways, I examined whether such goals have achieved for mothers or not? I examined as far as my knowledge and ability helped me and I observed that so far this has not been done in this way and with such goals in Iran. I told myself it would be better to see if there is such a center or foundation in the world with such goals. Again in different ways (by searching through internet, asking the friends, surveying through scientific centers, the NGOs, governmental and international organizations etc.) we studied about this matter and as far as we had access and acquired information, we found only four centers as NGOs in the name of “Mother Foundation” around the world.
1- The Mother Teresa Foundation in Heydarabad, India is a non - government development organization working for the unwanted, uncared and unloved children in the society.
2- Mother Foundation in Bangladesh that there is not much information on their website but it seems they provide and distribute second-hand clothes for needy people.
3- Chicago Mothers Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose main mission is to help children battling cancer in the United States, Lithuania and abroad.
4- The largest and most famous foundation in the world as the title of the Mother Foundation that its main offices are located in New York (USA), London (England) and Johannesburg (South Africa) which only help women and mothers who are infected with AIDS.
But my goals and wishes have been bigger than those physical and worldly issues for mothers.
I came to this conclusion with my limited knowledge and ability that I must do something new and bigger than such issues for mothers – Not only for my mother, but for all the mothers of my homeland and all the mothers of the world. As a result, with a lot of studies and surveys, and with the advice of my friends and companions in Iran and abroad, I eventually decided to establish Mother Foundation with specific goals. I felt the best day to announce this event is on the birthday of my mother that I can express my gratitude towards her efforts publicly and also announce the establishment of Mother Foundation. So I decided to celebrate the birthday of my mother in the presence of friends and thinkers in October. Coordination meetings and the executive headquarters for holding my mother's birthday with cooperation, sympathy and companionship of Master Naser Emami, Dariush Navidgooie and Mrs. Zahra Samiei was organized since June 2014 every week for celebrating the occasion in the best way. Finally, at the last meeting on Thursday 2 rd October 2014 – After the discussions – the last decision was made about my mother’ ceremony and at the last moment I announced to my friends that I intend to establish Mother Foundation. All my friends welcomed the good news but they said there is not enough time. “Don’t worry” I replied. We had only one night to prepare a banner announcing the establishment of Mother Foundation that Mr. Dariush Navidgooie ordered the banner with love, passion and difficulty and at the last minute before the beginning of the ceremony, the banner was prepared.
Finally, in a glorious ceremony which was held for honoring my mother’s efforts in her life and in appreciation of high and sacred status of all mothers of my homeland and mothers of the world – I decided to establish Mother Foundation with specific goals on 3rd October 2014 in Shiraz.
May Mother’s prayers always be with you
Gholamreza Mohammadi
Founder and CEO
Mother Foundation