Najah Bazzy is a nurse who was doing transcultural work at a local hospital after the Gulf War when she met a refugee family living in extreme poverty.
How did the poverty that she’s seen motivate her?
“A baby in a laundry basket, hat was dying in a laundry basket,” she said. "I wasn’t prepared to see that so after I caught my breath and had a good cry I was determined to do something about it.
So what was the first step she took to do something about it?
“Basic needs. Food, Clothing, Shelter,” Bazzy said.
The building blocks to breaking the cycle of poverty. Zaman International began out of the back of Najah’s van in 1996 and has grown to a 40,000-square-foot facility in Inkster. Through a voucher program, women have access to free basic needs like food and clothing. They also offer job-ready skill training and language literacy classes.
“I see the human family you know the totality of the human family and if God made somebody the way he made them skin color you know shape,” she said.
More: Heart f Detroit stories