Conversation with Mohsen Sarhan
Here is the latest – Episode 7 – from The Fading Causes Podcast : a thought-challenging conversation with Mohsen Sarhan Ali, CEO Of Egyptian Food Bank.
He has a compelling theory on poverty and hunger based on his considerable analysis and experience as an economist turned entrepreneurial development activist.
His thesis turns conventional thinking on its head. According to Mohsen, the poor and hungry will always be with us not least because, north-south inequalities will never be overcome. What is his argument? And should we then give up on trying to make a difference?
Of course not but then what to do when he says that public policy and food systems are broken and much touted methods such as micro projects don’t work to necessary scale. But Mohsen is no nihilist – and one of the most energetic people I have met.
And so our conversation moves towards pragmatic practical solutions. Including something widely ignored: understanding the psychology of poverty and tackling the mental distress of the poor and vulnerable that holds them back. Mohsen’s work at the Egyptian Food Bank is not just about feeding the body but also mind and soul. Not something that conventional development practices feature.
He is also most demanding of his own self. Every day he interrogates himself: what value have I created? And his ultimate self-assessment is the “replaceability” test that, perhaps, everyone in the aid business should be undergo.
