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History & Mission

Mission

To facilitate change and advance the lives of marginalized women and children, by enabling them to meet essential needs common to all humankind.

Vision

To realize a world where women and their children can break the cycle of poverty, and self-direct their futures.

History

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.

After visiting the family at their home, Najah was shocked by their sparse living conditions. 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 was 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 was the beginning of Plots for Tots, Zaman's signature program which provides dignified burial support for families which have lost a fetus or infant.

Witnessing this family's sorrowful experience and shocking living conditions, Najah was inspired and determined to harness the community's efforts to help struggling families. 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.

Incorporation and Growth

In 2004, Zaman International- Hope for Humanity officially became an NGO committed to addressing basic needs and empowering marginalized women and children through relief and development programs.  In 2007, we launched BOOST (Building Ongoing Opportunities through Skills Training), a program designed to offer women the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty by learning job-ready skills and English language literacy.  In 2009, Zaman purchased 230 burial plots, establishing the Plots for Tots Cemetery in Westland, Michigan.  Later that year, we began our Mobile Food Pantry, which offered nightly meals to homebound families through volunteer-driven food rescue at local restaurants and supermarkets for over eight years. 

Since 2016, Zaman has operated out of the Hope For Humanity Center, a 40,500-square-foot facility in Inkster that houses its crisis assistance, vocational training and life skills programs.  Within this new space, the Good Deeds resale shop was established in 2016 and is stocked with clothing, furniture, household goods and more, available to clients for free and to the public for purchase.  In November 2016, a client-choice food pantry was established with the support of Gleaners Community Food Bank, allowing families to choose culturally appropriate and nutritionally balanced food each month. 

In December 2017, Zaman celebrated the grand opening of the Culinary Arts Training Center, the latest addition to BOOST, which offers nutrition and culinary classes as well as hot meals for our client families and community members. 

Impact

In 2018, Zaman distributed 170,400 pounds of food, collected 886,950 pounds of clothing, provided over 7,750 hours of job skills and literacy instruction to more than 90 women, and gave 268 winter coats and 895 school supply-filled backpacks to local children. Meanwhile, it partnered with 444 community partners on a range of initiatives and funded overseas relief projects bringing safe water and humanitarian relief to more than 431,900 people. 

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