My story – why I founded Vorrio

Arriving – a country that gave me a chance

My name is Mohi. I was born in 1989 and came to Vienna as a student in 2013.

Back then I did not yet know where my life would take me. I had hopes, dreams and many questions about my future.

Later I had to apply for asylum in Austria. It was not an easy time. Much was uncertain, and I had to learn to deal with situations I was not prepared for.

But it was in exactly this difficult time that I experienced something I have never forgotten.

People who did not know me at all helped me. Some with big things, others with small gestures: a kind word, a little patience, an open door or simply the feeling of being welcome.

For those people they may have been small things. For me they meant a lot.

Over time, Austria became more than just the country I live in. It became my home.

And at some point a wish grew in me that has stayed with me ever since: I do not only want to live in this country and benefit from its opportunities. I want to give something back.

Not because I have to. But because I know from my own experience how valuable it is when people are there for each other.

The reason – why Vorrio came about

In my family, people often talked about the war.

About fear and uncertainty. About how quickly a completely normal life can change. And about how precious the things become that we take for granted every day: drinking water, food, electricity, safety and a peaceful home.

These stories shaped me.

And I understood something: we cannot control everything that happens in the world. But we can prepare ourselves and our families for difficult situations.

That does not always take a lot of money or complicated knowledge. Sometimes it just takes someone who puts the most important information together in a way that is easy to understand.

That is the idea Vorrio grew out of: a free app that helps people plan their personal emergency preparedness. It shows which supplies a household needs, which things are already there and what to keep in mind.

It was important to me that Vorrio simply works: without registration, without cost and even without an internet connection once you have opened the app.

I do not want to spread fear with it. Quite the opposite: I hope people will have less to fear because they are better prepared.

Maybe Vorrio can help a family stay a little calmer in a difficult situation. Maybe it reminds someone to get something important in time.

And if this small app ever helps even one person at a decisive moment, the work will already have been worth it for me.

The languages – help should know no borders

From the very beginning, one thing mattered especially to me with Vorrio: a human being is a human being. No matter where they were born, which language they speak, which religion they have or how much money they have.

I know from my own experience how hard it can be to understand important information in a foreign country. In an emergency in particular, language can become an extra challenge.

That is why Vorrio is not only available in German, but also in English, Arabic, Persian and Spanish.

Because when the power suddenly goes out in a block of flats, or another emergency happens, it affects everyone who lives there: the Austrian family just as much as the Syrian, Iranian, German or Spanish family next door.

In such moments it should not matter where someone comes from. What should matter is that we can help each other.

I believe that a strong society can be recognised not only by how well people are doing in good times, but also by how they treat each other in difficult times.

What comes next – Vorrio is only the beginning

For me, Vorrio is more than a technical project. It is a first step in a direction that matters a great deal to me personally.

I want to use my skills and knowledge to develop digital solutions that can not only be economically successful but also bring real benefit to people. And I have many more ideas.

One of my next goals is a volunteer hub: a platform where people who want to help can find people and organisations that need support.

Because I believe there are a great many people who would like to do something good. Sometimes they just do not know where to start.

Maybe someone has two hours a week. Maybe someone can translate, solve technical problems, help older people or support an organisation in its work.

Not everyone can donate money. Not everyone has a lot of free time. But almost everyone has something that can be valuable to others: a skill, an experience, an idea or simply a little time.

I cannot change the world on my own. And I cannot carry out all these projects alone either. But maybe we do not have to. Maybe it is enough if each of us contributes a small part.

That is why I am glad about everyone who uses Vorrio, recommends it, shares their ideas or would like to support me and my future projects.

Not because I want to be the centre of attention. But because I believe that something big can grow out of a small idea when people work on it together.

My wish – a more peaceful world

When I think about my past and look to the future at the same time, one very simple wish remains.

I wish for a world in which children can grow up without fear. In which families can sleep peacefully at night without worrying about what the next morning will bring.

A world in which people do not judge each other first by their origin, language or religion, but in which we see more clearly again what connects us.

I know that a small app cannot prevent a war or solve all the problems of our world. But I also believe that we should not stop doing good just because we cannot change everything.

Austria gave me safety and new opportunities in a difficult phase of my life. Today I want to pass some of that on in my own way: with Vorrio, with my next projects and hopefully together with many other people.

Because in the end I wish the same for all of us: Peace. Safety. And a life in which we are there for each other.

With all my heart, Mohi, founder of Vorrio