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Najah Bazzy

Najah Bazzy is an American humanitarian, interfaith leader, nurse, and founder and CEO of Zaman International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and its causes.[1]

Early life and education

Bazzy was born in Dearborn, Michigan. Both her father and grandfather worked at the Ford factory located in Dearborn (the Ford River Rouge complex); her grandfather was one of the first workers employed at the factory.[2] She earned her nursing degree from Madonna University.[3]

Career

Bazzy has worked as a critical care nurse and as a transcultural nurse.[4]

Bazzy served as an adjunct professor for the Institute of International Health at Michigan State University. In 1997, she co-founded the Young Muslim Association.[5]

In 1996, in her role as a transcultural nurse, Bazzy was caring the baby of an Iraqi refugee family at Beaumont Hospital.[4] She arranged for home hospice care, and was struck by the condition of poverty the family lived in.[6] This motivated her to focus on poverty alleviation, and her efforts led to her founding Zaman International in 2004, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and its causes.[7] Zaman is run by volunteers and estimates having helped over 3 million people across 20 countries.[8] In addition to providing food and clothes to families in need, Zaman International has grown to provide vocational education, an infant burial program, and international humanitarian relief.[3]

In 2022, Bazzy was appointed to the Michigan Humanities Council board by Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.[9]

COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bazzy leveraged Zaman's resources to provide pandemic-specific relief. The organization helped with food distribution and started offering virtual support to the vocational program.[10] Bazzy also worked with the board for the Governor of Michigan on Michigan's COVID-19 vaccination plan.[11]

Awards and honors

  • In 2019, Bazzy was recognized as a CNN Hero for founding Zaman International[12]
  • In 2020, Bazzy was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Humanities from the Oakland University School of Medicine[9]
  • In 2020, Bazzy's smile was featured on the packaging for Lay's brand potato chips, a campaign focused on raising awareness of charity leaders and their organizations[10]
  • In 2021, Bazzy was included on the list of Crain's Detroit Business 100 Most Influential Women[7]
  • In 2022, Bazzy was named Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News[7]
  • In 2022, Bazzy was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame for her efforts on combating poverty[8]
  • In 2023, Bazzy was named as one of USA Today's Women of the Year, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact across the country[13]

References

  1. Austin Metz. Humanitarian, interfaith leader named USA TODAY's Women of the Year honoree from Michigan The Holland Sentinel, 19 March 2023, retrieved 28 May 2023^
  2. Akbar Ahmed. Journey Into America The Challenge of Islam Brookings Institution Press, June 2010, retrieved 30 May 2023^
  3. Sarah Rahal. Najah Bazzy: Zaman International makes a worldwide difference The Detroit News, 3 December 2020, retrieved 30 May 2023^
  4. Najah Bazzy Founder and CEO Zaman International Crain's Detroit Business, 8 November 2021, retrieved 2 June 2023^
  5. Najah Bazzy Founder and CEO, Zaman International Harvard University, 2022, retrieved 1 June 2023^
  6. Nargis Rahman. Global Woman Magazine names Najah Bazzy a female Muslim thought leader wdet.org, 8 April 2022, retrieved 1 June 2023^
  7. Briana Gasorski. Global Woman Magazine recognizes Najah Bazzy among top six Muslim female thought leaders ArabAmericanNews.com, 2 April 2022, retrieved 29 May 2023^
  8. Faraz Javed, Collin Frederick. Muslim philanthropist, health care leader bags USA Today's Women of the Year honor WXYZ-TV, 20 March 2023, retrieved 29 May 2023^
  9. Governor Whitmer Makes Appointments to Boards and Commissions Michigan, 18 October 2022, retrieved 2023-06-03^
  10. Nisa Khan. Michigan leaders' charity work lands them on Lay's potato chip bags Detroit Free Press, 14 September 2020, retrieved 30 May 2023^
  11. Kassem Doghman. Interview with Najah Bazzy – CEO of Zaman International Henry Ford College, 27 February 2023, retrieved 3 June 2023^
  12. Kathleen Toner. She started helping Detroit's impoverished community in her house. Now, her nonprofit has reached 250,000 people. CNN, 12 September 2019, retrieved 29 May 2023^
  13. Meet USA TODAY's Women of the Year USA Today, 17 March 2023, retrieved 28 May 2023^