SHAMEEZA and SHANEEZA MOHAMED
“In the next year, my sister and I will be embarking on new adventures as we are going off to college; we wish to take this trip this summer so that we may move into our young adults lives knowing we have the support of our birth parents and home country.”
Shameeza and Shaneeza - the twins have not seen their mother since they were 6 years old. They are now 18.
The twins' mother with their half-siblings in Guyana
Shameeza as a child with her father in Guyana.
Nominating Organization: Sadie Nash Leadership Project
My name is Shameeza Mohamed and I was born in Georgetown, Guyana. When I was six years old, my grandmother, twin sister, and I came to America in order to get a better life and have more opportunities. My grandmother adopted us so that my parents could figure their own lives out. My parents were divorced and did not want to live with each other and after my sister and I came to America, it was especially hard to keep in contact. We are writing to seek your financial support in helping me reunite with my mother. My mother left us when we were 18 months old because she was not able to provide for us and could not handle the emotional challenges of raising two twin girls. My father, on the other hand, is frequently in trouble and remains in and out of prison. We would love to meet them before it’s too late.
Since coming to the U.S., I have not gone back to see them or been able to connect to my Guyanese roots. My parents continue to live in Guyana but they are not together and they lead separate lives. Recently, I was able to find a picture of my mother for the first time ever and that is the closest that I have been to be able to see her and connect with her. I have some contact with my father via phone calls but I have not been able to reunite with him either. Now that my sister and I have just turned 18, we are more conscious of being able to go back to Guyana and we want to be able to experience what it is like to meet our parents and reconnect with our homeland.
In the next year, my sister and I will be embarking on new adventures as we are going off to college; we wish to take this trip with our grandmother this summer so that we may move into our young adults lives knowing we have the support of our birth parents and home country. Meeting our mother and father for the first time in about 11 years will give us a new outlook on life, especially since growing up without the love of your parents is a harsh reminder of what we missed out on. We need our community to support us! In order to truly find myself, this trip is needed and in order to reconnect with my Guyanese roots we ask for your support.
Hello Vuelo is raising funds to send Shameeza, Shaneeza, and their grandmother to Guyana this summer to visit their parents