Amina Shams and Noma Saeed, both grew up in Potomac, MD and are CoFounders of BLOOM Charity. Amina shares their story...
The holiday season of giving is upon us and I’m happy to have a chance to share our family’s giving story with you. Last October, my sister and I cofounded a nonprofit organization here in Richmond, Virginia called BLOOM Charity. As chance had it, we both grew our families through adoption and BLOOM was inspired by the life changing experiences we had at an orphanage in Meknes, Morocco.
My husband Omar and I adopted Younes in 2015, when he was just 3 months old. We were instantly, deeply in love. When I first met Younes, I was concerned about his obvious developmental delays and wondered if he would live a normal, healthy life. After just a few days of providing him with plenty of hugs, kisses, nutrition and stimulation, we watched in awe as Younes started to bloom. After bringing Younes home to Richmond, I couldn’t forget the sea of deprived, neglected and sad children I had left behind. Every time I fulfilled a need for Younes, whether it was a bath, bottle, or late night snuggle – I would think about the unmet needs of all those children that held onto me as I left the orphanage.
Over 65,000 children live in Moroccan orphanages, and approximately 24 babies are abandoned each day, representing 2% of all live births. Moroccan babies are often abandoned due to poverty, illegitimacy or disability. Disabled children often remain in institutionalized care for life. Moroccan orphans suffer from severe deprivation and neglect. The trauma and setbacks they endure in their earliest years of life result in irreversible damage that perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality. 80% of Moroccan orphans grow up to become offenders, a vast number end up living on the streets, and about 10% die by suicide.
BLOOM creates accessible spaces where children of all abilities can play, learn, develop, build relationships and heal.
I knew something had to be done, so I immediately started HOPE, a program that hires local women to spend time snuggling and stimulating the infants and children. I also started a program to sponsor the orphans’ pre-school education, to further minimize developmental delays. My sister, Noma, sponsored the education a 4-year-old boy named Hatim. Hatim stole Noma’s heart, and a year later she returned to adopt him as her son. When Noma went to bring Hatim home, she took a soccer ball with her. Much to her surprise, Hatim had never played with a ball before! Hatim had spent his precious first years of life confined to a tiny room in the orphanage, which was on the fifth floor of a hospital building, with no access to the outdoors or opportunities to play.
After experiencing the deprivation first hand, and witnessing the impact of the programs we already put in place, Noma and I were inspired to launch BLOOMCharity. Currently, we are building playgrounds and healing gardens in orphanages throughout Morocco. Our ‘Magical PlayGardens’ are green spaces, rich with sensory experiences and developmental opportunities for children of all abilities. This past year, with the help of our community, we built a beautiful rooftop PlayGarden for the children in Meknes, Morocco. They love it so much that all they want now is lights so they can stay there even longer!
BLOOM’s 1st annual ‘Hope for the Holidays’ fundraising campaign is now underway to raise funds for more Magical PlayGardens in orphanages all over Morocco. BLOOM is committed to develop at least three more PlayGardens in 2019.
This holiday season; give the gift of laughter, learning, hope and healing to orphan children! To donate visit: www.bloomcharity/Giving2018
