Zaman International

Zaman International is a non-profit organization committed to addressing the basic needs and empowerment of marginalized women and children locally and internationally. Our mission is to facilitate change and advance the lives of marginalized women and children by enabling them to meet essential needs common to all humankind. As a humanitarian organization, respect for all humanity and the commitment to every human's well-being is the basis of our work. When in dire need, Zaman, meaning time in Arabic, is of the essence and  our work ensures that any suffering ends as soon as possible through a timely and effective response.
Although  Zaman formally became a non-profit organization in 2004, our work began in 1996, giving us more than 20 years of on-the-ground experience.  In 1996, Zaman Founder and President Najah Bazzy, a Transcultural Clinical Nurse Specialist, was providing clinical and spiritual support to a family whose three-month-old infant was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  His parents, newly immigrated to the United States, had to face the heart-wrenching reality that no treatment would save him. After visiting the family at their home, Najah was shocked by the sparse living conditions. 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. You can learn more about our historyhere.
Since its founding , Zaman International has applied a needs-based, community-driven approach to all programming in order to help households meet their basic needs and break the cycle of poverty. Here at Zaman, we are dedicated to addressing the diverse needs of our clients. Unlike most organizations, Zaman is flexible and willing to work outside of strict programs and policies in order to respond quickly and effectively to our client’s needs. We develop personal relationships with our clients through home visits and meet regularly to ensure assistance is exactly what they need.  This is what differentiates us from most humanitarian organizations: we are flexible, responsive, and dedicated to the empowerment of our clients. Our clients know this about us, and so does the community. In addition to local assistance, we also spread hope throughout the world with our international disaster and relief efforts.
Zaman’s needs-based and community-driven approach has resulted in many successful programs that continue to have a positive impact for the households reached and the community in general. We provide services that address basic human needs such as food, clothing and shelter provision. We also empower the households we serve to support themselves and their families through training and vocational programs. By providing both urgent assistance and promoting self-reliance, Zaman has become an organization that transitions the households we serve from a hand-out to a hands-on model, thereby lifting their self-esteem and relieving the condition of poverty through programs that promote self-reliance and empower the women to support themselves and their families.
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.