Neda Moeini is a graduate of computer science and software development programming from York University. Canadians from Iranian origin, Mr. and Mrs. Moeini left Canada for some years to start a life in Germany and came back in 1991 to resettle in Toronto. Mrs. Moeini and her husband, Ata Moeini started the Group of Gold Line Companies that offer services in every area of communication.
With a passion for philanthropy, Mrs. Moeini has become a huge contributor to organizations in Medicine, Arts and Education. Her support to medical research includes the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, Sunnybrook Foundation and Sick Kids Hospital.
Mrs. Moeini’s aid to education embraces Borani Global Education; an organization devoted to deserving students for online university degree programs.
In addition to her other philanthropic endeavors, Mrs. Moeini initiated a bursary at the University of Toronto’s Law School and instituted the GL – Group of Gold Line International Human Rights Internships.
Neda Moeini was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on September 8th, 2012 by the Governor General of Canada for her charities to the field of education.
Neda Moeini was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on September 8th, 2012 by the Governor General of Canada for her charities to the field of education.
You must have faced some challenges after your immigration to Canada. When and how did you realize the need for immigrants to be connected to their roots back home?
My husband and I believe that if you see a need in society, it is our duty to meet the need for our community. We see entrepreneurship as a form of service. We were immigrants ourselves, and missed our family and friends who were back home very much. Over half the population of Toronto are born outside of Canada so we knew we were not alone in this sentiment, and we knew someone needed to serve this community. That’s how GL was born, and over 25 years later our focus is still connecting people home – but we’ve grown from our local community to connecting the global diaspora home!
The pre-paid calling card launched by Gold Line Telemanagement Inc. in 1991 was fully designed considering the needs of a newcomer in mind, how did you and your husband manage the costs?
Our costing was always centred around affordability. We were leaders in setting prices as low as possible, in the first instance slashing prices over 90% for our pre-paid long distance calling cards. It was our mandate to never take advantage of the customer and be as inexpensive as possible in a sustainable way. Though this limited our profit, it created a larger volume of very loyal customers that we are very proud to serve.
You have funded several schools in Africa and South America. Also, you are funding institutions in Canada, particularly to keep the Persian language alive. Is this the cause inspired by your mother as she was the pioneer of keeping the Persian language alive for thousands of Persian kids in Canada?
The schools we have funded around the world are driven by our belief in Universal Education as a basic human right for the dignity of all mankind. We believe the ultimate connection you help anyone to make is one to an education where they can be truly empowered, and we try our best to support schools and education initiatives that have the same goal.
My mother was a schoolteacher in Iran for 25 years and then taught Persian-language classes in Canada until her passing in 2008. Her passion for education of children and early years education inspired us immensely.
When did you realize the need to create “Borani Global Education” and is there something from your past you would like to relate that to?
We are very excited for the power of educational technologies to connect people to meaningful educational experiences and catalyze universal education. Borani Global Education was made possible with the innovation of online learning programmes at major universities that allowed for students all over the world to access their materials. I created this foundation in order to connect students of higher education who are excluded from the opportunity because of unfortunate circumstances in their country to the education that they deserve.
You support the Abilities Arts Festival. How do you believe the power of art can be a tool to promote cultural diversity and can enrich our communities?
Art has the power to inspire and move hearts. I really admire the Abilities Arts Festival’s inclusive philosophy and their use of this powerful medium to educate and empower. It is a wonderful organization.
Your support for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the Breast Cancer Society of Canada describes your strong belief in the cause. Is there a specific reason you would like to share?
Innovation is in our DNA, and we are proud to support those who are doing great work in it. These two organizations are truly exemplary and it is an honour to have resources to support them in their admirable goals
You established the Group of Gold Line International Human Rights Internships at the University of Toronto’s Law School.
We wanted to fund law students to do humanitarian research projects, in order for them to contribute to protecting vulnerable populations and perhaps in this experience be moved to continue such efforts after graduation. The initiative included international travel and working on site to contribute to a local community that would otherwise not have access to such expertise to defend their rights.
What motivated you to be a long time contributor to the Toronto International Film Festival?
We designed our product GLWiZ to connect the global diaspora back to the content of their home countries, as we recognize the power of media to feel connected. We also believe in the power of film to educate and inspire, to take you to a new world and make you empathize with a new community, to see the needs there are in society and to be inspired and transformed. We are so proud that TIFF has built a world-class film festival in our home city and we are very proud to support them in this initiative.
Please enlighten us about the ideology behind your zeal for humanitarianism.
We believe that the world is one country and mankind are its citizens, and that every person is created noble and is entitled to an education, for that they may serve their community in any way that they choose to excel. We will continue to do our utmost to make that possible and to connect people to what matters most.
