00:00A demonstration in Hanover against the regime in Iran.
00:05Hajir Tassouri is an entrepreneur originally from Iran.
00:09Because of the weeks-long internet shutdown there,
00:12it's hard for him to get in contact with people.
00:18Regardless of which political organization is organizing a demonstration,
00:22I think it's good that the issue of Iran is being addressed,
00:26that it's being brought up,
00:27that people in Iran at least have a way to be heard.
00:32On very rare occasion,
00:34Hajir Tassouri is able to reach project partners by phone.
00:38The situation is very difficult these days,
00:41because of the war and internet shutdown.
00:43Daily life and work is seriously affected.
00:47The people didn't go to the war.
00:49And because of that,
00:52most of the businesses are facing a lot of problems.
00:57Saeed, who lives in the Iranian capital of Tehran,
01:01and Hajir Tassouri designed this device,
01:04which converts used cooking oil into biodiesel.
01:09Tassouri's Dorium initiative supports social entrepreneurs like Saeed.
01:16The Dorium project supports social entrepreneurs and start-ups,
01:21whose work makes life easier for people in their villages and communities.
01:27These can be projects related to water purification,
01:31clean drinking water, the energy sector, or healthcare.
01:41Nearly a year ago,
01:43Saeed presented his biodiesel-converting device
01:45at the Gitex Technology Trade Fair in Berlin.
01:49Housing companies said they were interested in installing them in apartment buildings
01:53as a way to help protect the environment,
01:56since one liter of used cooking oil can contaminate up to one million liters of drinking water.
02:01For next step, I decided to create an industrial size of this device.
02:11It can be used for each port of the maritime.
02:15It can be used for each industrial area.
02:19And we can help in the environment.
02:23Today, attending a trade show would be difficult, if not impossible, for the entrepreneur,
02:27as is making deliveries to international customers.
02:32This has also been confirmed by the European-Iranian Trade Bank in Hamburg.
02:37Board member Ralf Vollmering says that even before the war,
02:41sanctions had made business difficult, even in the humanitarian sector.
02:45Now, the Internet blockade could spill the end for start-ups.
02:50Those who don't have government support, who operate outside certain structures, are hit directly.
02:56And in our globally connected world, medium-sized businesses from Iran must be allowed to seize their opportunities.
03:04They just can't at the moment.
03:06Or rather, they can't at the moment in the way that is essential for a successful business.
03:12In Hanover, Hajir Tasuri was able to equip his biodiesel plant with a software upgrade,
03:19taking advantage of a moment when his project partner in Tehran was reachable by phone.
03:25OK, be sure to leave.
03:26So I'm going to do this again
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