In Zulfa Bayat's Own Words
Project Maaida started in my kitchen, feeding 4 families in 2008. Alḥamdulillāh, we have since then grown with the overwhelming support from our truly generous contributors to assisting over 600 families in various communities.
I would bake biscuits and cakes for them. This was from 2008 to 2012. In 2013, during our second year of studies, we learned the importance of giving via ḥadīth, and I was inspired to make luxury hampers for the elderly at Beit-ul-Aman. I sought out the assistance of a few sisters and, Alḥamdulillāh, we were able to make 100 luxury hampers. Each year we grew, Alḥamdulillāh.
"It was our hope to bring a smile to the faces of the aged in our communities, who are mostly forgotten by many."
From 2015, however, we started with food parcels. One of the ladies suggested we go to Elite, purchase a few things, and distribute them to people in need. I made the intention to do better the next year, by the permission of Allāh SWT. Our database grew, and we were able to assist 350 families — and Alḥamdulillāh, as of 2020, we assist up to 600 families.
Initially we focused on the elderly in our community. We then realised there was a need for food parcels, and we specifically focused on the day of Eid — a day when so many of us are blessed with luxuries to enjoy, but where the less fortunate in our communities are too often forgotten.
It was in 2019 when the name "Project Maaida" was born. A sister in Johannesburg was assisting us with a poster and said "The Maaida Project" — and it is from this inspiration, as well as the Sūrah in the Qurʾān, that the name was chosen, Alḥamdulillāh.
So it is with this motivation that we endeavour to provide a table laden with treats for the less fortunate in our communities, for themselves and their families to enjoy, In Shā Allāh Amīn.
Since then, Project Maaida has grown into far more than food parcels alone. What began as a once-a-year Eid effort has become an ongoing community service — weekly Qur'an classes running across four mosques, workshops supporting both faith and wellbeing, and a peer-support network of sisters caring for one another, Alḥamdulillāh.
A peer-support network at the heart of Project Maaida — sisters in our community walking alongside one another, offering a listening ear, practical help, and connection when it's needed most.
Support This ProgramGrowing Beyond Food Parcels
Project Maaida now runs weekly Qur'an classes across 4 mosques, currently teaching more than 130 students.
Space reserved for the 4 partner mosques — send us the names and we'll drop them straight in.
Our Workshops
Alongside our classes, we run workshops that support our community's spiritual and personal growth.
Faith & Growth · In Partnership with THINK EQ
Run in collaboration with THINK EQ, this workshop supports women through their seasons of weakness — building strength, faith, and emotional resilience together.
Support & Awareness
A workshop offering awareness and support around narcissistic abuse — details and upcoming dates to be added here.
How We've Grown
Each stage of our growth was earned one year at a time, through the generosity of our contributors.
Founded in Zulfa Bayat's kitchen — baking for 4 families
Biscuits & cakes continue, focused on the elderly
Inspired by ḥadīth, 100 luxury hampers made for Beit-ul-Aman
Food parcels introduced ahead of Eid
Assisting 350 families — the name "Project Maaida" is born
Now assisting up to 600 families each year
A full community service — Qur'an classes at 4 mosques and workshops supporting our community
Our Founder
Mualima Zulfa Bayat is the founding director of Project Maaida, a multifaceted organisation dedicated to supporting females in their seasons of weakness. She began by baking biscuits and cakes for four families in her own kitchen in 2008, and has since built a range of initiatives — including feeding programs, sponsorships, and Tarjuma (translation) of Qur'an classes for mothers and grandmothers.
It was Zulfa's second year of studies, in 2013, when a ḥadīth on the importance of giving inspired her to gather a few sisters and prepare 100 luxury hampers for the elderly at Beit-ul-Aman — the project that would grow, year after year, into what Project Maaida is today.
Zulfa's mission is to uplift and empower her fellow sisters — through workshops and more, providing the support needed for healing and growth, regardless of financial situation.
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"A table laden with treats for the less fortunate in our communities, for themselves and their families to enjoy, In Shā Allāh Amīn."
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