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When he arrived in the Netherlands in the 1990s, Ahmed Larouz had no idea about who he would become. Several years later, the Moroccan man became a role model for the Moroccan community setteld down in the European country.
Born on October the 1st, 1971, in Guelmima (Errachidia region), Larouz worked on how to change the way Moroccan nationals living in the Netherlands were perceived.
He was 18 years old when he arrived in the country, joining his family. «I was the first to come to the Netherlands before my brothers and sisters joined us», he told Yabiladi. In the Netherlands, he had to work hard in order to graduate school. «I studied the last year of high school in Morocco but I did not take the final exam. Once in the Netherlands, I had to learn Dutch», he recalled.
«When you arrive in a new country, you try to fit in and integrate in a way that would help you achieve your dreams and goals. When I arrived in the Netherlands, the Moroccan community was not well-regarded».
For the Moroccan diaspora
That was the real reason why Ahmed Larouz decided to focus on the Moroccan diaspora and its image in the country. In the begining, he volunteered working for local NGOs and mosques. «I started meeting people and learning from them», he explained. «In 1997, someone told me that we Moroccans, when we immigrate, focus on problems and forget about the positive things. I realized that we have a great culture and ancient civilization and that nothing stops us from moving forward and succeeding», he proudly declared.
Larouz started focusing on the positive and optimistic aspects of the community. He first worked with TANS, a network established in the Netherlands to showcase the skills of the Moroccan community. «We have noticed that diasporas in general do not have a network that can help them participate to decision-making in the political and economic scene», he explained.
In just five years, TANS became one of the biggest networks in Europe for Moroccans, with 10,000 members. «We have also built a platform for people to develop their talents and with such a network it is easy to attract talented people and influence the future generation», added the Moroccan-Dutch engineer.
In 1999, Ahmed Larouz established his first company that took care of intellectual management.
«We always have a responsibility towards the Moroccan community but also the community in which we live. So I created international and national projects, such as the first Ramadan festival, which took place in 42 cities and 5 European capitals and was awarded by the UN as one of the best projects bringing together Muslims and non-Muslims in the world».
A project honoring Nouri
Ahmed Larouz is currently working on a fund for Africa. «The African Incubator targets startups interested in innovation and technology. This is a project that I am setting up, searching of funds in Europe and America», he explained.
Ahmed Larouz is also collaborating on another project for Abdelhak Nouri, the Dutch-Moroccan football player who suffered a heart attack during a football match in 2017. «We are building a football field bearing his name. It is a project in collaboration with his family and the town hall, with also an international foundation bearing his name», he declared. To him, Nouri is «considered today as a symbol in the Netherlands and the Dutch compare him to Johan Cruyff (Dutch international footballer)».
Ahmed Larouz also prepares a grand gala evening scheduled for next month. «Diwan Awards Holland is a project that must bring together talented Moroccan people and will award, through ten categories, the best of them in several fields», he concluded.
