Zaman's History
Zaman International is a world-class nonprofit organization with more than 25 years of on-the-ground experience in empowering women and children to break the cycle of extreme poverty. Since 2010 we have helped over 480,000 of our neighbors in southeast Michigan, while serving more than 4.7 million around the world.
Zaman applies a needs-based, community-driven approach to help households meet their basic needs and break the cycle of poverty through evolving education, workforce development and employment programs at our Hope For Humanity Center in Inkster, Michigan near Detroit.
Unlike many organizations, we develop personal relationships with our clients through home visits and regular in-person consultations to ensure assistance can quickly and effectively meet their diverse set of needs. By both providing urgent assistance and promoting self-reliance as a means to pursuing sustainable employment, Zaman helps transition families from a hand-out to a hands-on model.
Since our founding in 1996, Zaman has grown from a grassroots group of volunteers to a world-class global nonprofit. The success of our organization and continued growth comes from the passion and dedication to our mission shared by our team, volunteers, supporters and community partners.
We hope you will join us as we work to break the cycle of poverty one family at a time.
Zaman International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanitarian organization, EIN: 20-1946065.
Founding Story
The story of Zaman International begins in 1996 with the terminal diagnosis of a three-month-old infant. His parents, newly immigrated to the United States, had to face the heart-wrenching reality that no treatment would save him.
Zaman Founder and CEO, Najah Bazzy, a transcultural clinical nurse specialist, was providing clinical, spiritual, and cultural support to this family throughout their time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Visiting the family at their home, their sparse living conditions shocked Najah. Instead of a refrigerator, the family used a picnic cooler to house their limited food supply and baby formula. Instead of a stove, a portable propane stove was used for cooking. The infant's bed consisted of a laundry basket piled high with towels, and the infant only had the hospital's receiving blanket to keep him warm.
When the infant passed away and the family was unable to bury him, Najah raised funds from the community to provide him with a proper burial. This began Plots for Tots, one of Zaman's signature programs, which provides dignified burial support for families which have lost a fetus or infant.
Witnessing this family's sorrowful experience and shocking living conditions, inspired Najah to harness the community's efforts to help struggling families in similar situations. She asked community members to donate furniture, food, clothing, and household goods. The support and need for such efforts quickly increased, encouraging Zaman to formalize as an organization committed to using community support to address community needs and alleviate poverty and hunger.
Zaman's Timeline
Exceeds 3 million people served around the world since 2010.
Launches Rising Hope Bakery product line and is featured as a “CNN Heroes Success Story” by Subaru.
BOOST graduates first cohort of industrial sewing students.
Surpasses 2 million pounds of food distributed in Southeast Michigan since 2010.
Begins work to build-out Client Corridor and add 8,000 square feet for workforce development and onsite employment programming at Hope for Humanity Center.
Exceeds 300,000 people served in Southeast Michigan.
CNN selects CEO Najah Bazzy and Zaman as a Top Ten CNN Hero, which raises more than $100,000 for women and children living in extreme poverty.
Celebrates grand-opening of the Culinary Arts Training Center with new commercial kitchen offering nutrition and culinary classes.
Opens 40,500-square-foot Hope for Humanity Center in Inkster to house its holistic crisis assistance, vocational training, and life skills programming.
Establishes a client-choice food pantry with the support of Gleaners Community Food Bank.
Expands BOOST programming to include literacy and vocational sewing programs.
Purchases former auto supply facility with donor support and launches two-phase transformation project.
Launches BOOST (Building Ongoing Opportunities through Skills Training) to offer marginalized women the literacy and job-readiness skills needed to secure sustainable employment.
Purchased 230 burial plots in Westland, creating the Plots for Tots cemetery.
Begins mobile food pantry, offering nightly meals to homebound families through volunteer-driven food rescue at local restaurants.
Becomes an official nonprofit organization committed to addressing the basic needs and empowering women and children to break the cycle of poverty, starting with flagship Bayt Al-Zahra urgent needs program.
Najah Bazzy rallied support for family of deceased infant of Iraqi refugee family, harnessing community resources as the precursor to Plots for Tots and the start of Zaman’s mission.