Stafford now anchors the United States branch of a global nonprofit offering families healthcare, education and nutrition.
The gist
One World One Family, an India-based nonprofit, opened its U.S. headquarters in Stafford on Nov. 12 in an effort to expand its global services.
The organization has 10 U.S. offices, but leaders chose Greater Houston for the headquarters because of the city’s high diversity, innovation and their familiarity with the area, founder Sri Madhusudan Sai said.
The office space off Southwest Freeway will also house a new PeopleShores center, an organization that creates jobs and provides training for underserved youth, in partnership with Houston Community College, officials announced in a Nov. 13 news release.
The approach
Sai said One World One Family members are working with Houston hospitals to potentially open a free clinic, and they welcome Houston patients in India for free treatment in their established clinics.
He said the organization will also partner with the Houston Food Bank to address food and nutrition insecurity. The organization will also help provide scholarships for students in need.
“There are a lot of people who are still not capable of providing nutritious meals to themselves and their kids,” Sai said. “Food insecurity does exist in Houston and inner city areas.”
PeopleShores will also provide training in various fields, including artificial intelligence, robotics and software engineering, to young adults who skipped out on an expensive college education, Sai said.
About the organization
Founded in 2012, the organization provides breakfast to 10 million children every morning and its cardiac hospitals have resulted in 45,000 free heart surgeries for children. The organization also provides free values-based education, consultations and screenings.
The organization began its U.S. expansion with the opening of a free clinic in Mississippi in 2019, and earlier this year, it opened offices in Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, according to the release.
What’s next
CEO Kimmell Joslin said she hopes to partner with businesses to create more job opportunities for underserved youth, and she wants to work with local nonprofits to expand their reach.
Around 3,000 people work or volunteer with One World One Family in the U.S., but Sai said he’s still looking for more volunteers in the Houston area.
“What we can still share with others is a little bit of our time and our kindness,” Sai said. “That's what the world needs—more than all the resources—is collective human kindness. That is what drives the world.”
