Mohammad

My name is Mohammed and I left my homeland Burma alone at the age of 13 in 2007 to flee persecution, discrimination and violence. I arrived in the United States in 2023 with my wife and two boys and moved to Wisconsin to join my brother. From an early age I learned the value of being a business owner and being able to create an income for myself. I have a passion for continued learning, business and farming. I am excited to have bought a mini mart business near my home, a start of so many dreams I wish to fulfill here in the United States.

My earliest memories are filled with a love of learning. I began school at the age of 4 learning Burmese, Arabic and English. Today I can speak 10 different languages. I was forced to grow up fast at age 7 when my world fell apart. My mother was killed while in the hospital delivering my youngest sister in a hate crime because she was Muslim. I was so sad and I was unable to concentrate in school and thus my formal education was put on pause during that time. As the oldest of 6 siblings in my household, I also felt a great responsibility and under the advice of my grandma I “learned how to make money.” By the of age 10 with no child labor laws in Burma, I was running a fishing net contracting business employing dozens of people and providing for my family.

At age 13, I decided to flee Burma for a better life in Malaysia. Due to my age, I was unable to leave legally but with my business profits, I paid my way to join a group of 110 others on a rowboat destined for Malaysia. The journey was filled with anguish, death, fear, abuse and many detours but after 4 months I finally arrived penniless. I found work as a laborer and within 6 months, I had learned the language, bought a phone and a bus ticket to join a cousin in Kuala Lumpur. It was there that I began to pursue my education again and work to gain refugee status through the United Nations.

During that time, I worked for the Embassy of Pakistan during the day and I continued my education at night. I was able to provide for myself, send money home to my family and save to invest in my own businesses. I eventually enrolled at Help International University, married and moved on to become an interpreter with the United Nations. Throughout my life in Malaysia, I also owned and operated multiple businesses including a bakery, a grocery and a farm.

We are excited to build a life in the United States and raise our growing family (we just found out we have another baby on the way). We thank you in advance for your trust and support to build our business.