Djaffar Shalchi is one of the most inspiring and loving people I have ever had the privilege to meet and converse with. This is a profound deep dive into the nature of poverty and the paradigms that will need to shift if we are to collectively survive and hopefully thrive in the decades to come. Djaffar is the founder of Human Act and has dedicated his life to lifting others to a more beautiful life.

In His Own Words...

My name is Djaffar Shalchi and I have faith in the future of our wonderful world.

Me and my beloved wife started Human Act with a wish to make a difference in the life of the millions of people living in extreme poverty. Grounded in the saying – Poverty is the worst form of violence – by my role model and great spiritual and political leader Mahatma Gandhi, we are determined to end the suffering of millions. The current inequality in wealth results in a few having much more money than they can spend in an entire lifetime, while many live under inhuman conditions, struggling to survive on a day to day basis.

I was born in Tehran, Iran in 1961. When I was 8 years old, my parents decided to seek residency in Austria. Unfortunately, our residency application was rejected after one year, forcing our family – me, my three brothers and a younger sister – to split up. While my mother, my siblings and I had to move back to Iran, my father traveled on to Denmark. Luckily, we were granted residency here. But shortly after my parents got divorced, and my siblings and I were sent to an orphanage.

The Iranian Revolution in 1979 had a huge influence on my family. In Iran, the Shah was forced into exile and the long and deadly war with Iraq began. Both of my brothers returned to Iran to help rebuild the country. Unfortunately, my oldest brother disappeared during his efforts in his birth country, and was never to be found again. My younger brother, who also returned, died due to illness.

When my family returned to Iran, I decided to stay in Denmark and finish my education. Denmark had become my home away from my birth country. I married a lovely Danish girl, Ané Maro, and we had two amazing children. I obtained a degree as constructional engineer in the year of 1988. When the time was ready in 1999 I decided that I would be self-employed, which lead to my great financial success and my private means.

The Danish welfare system, designed to foster social mobility and equality of opportunity, made it feasible for a me as migration to climb the ladder of success. The advanced social tax system financed my free higher education and social security, enabling me to start my own business. My family and I wish that all the world’s children would have the same opportunities as I was given to create a better life, and we are determined to never forget to give back to those who are less fortunate. Therefore, my wife and I have decided to put more than $30 million of our fortune into the foundation. By doing this we want to help make a difference and to inspire others to do the same, in the name of truth, freedom and justice.

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