The Society to Support Children Suffering from Cancer widely known by its acronym, MAHAK, was set up in 1991 as a non-governmental and non-profit organization (registration number 6567) with the Department of Social Affairs for NGO activities at the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  In over two decades, we have attracted ever-increasing public support and fulfilled a great part of our mission which is to provide comprehensive support for children with cancer, thus reducing child mortality rates and empowering (or creating an environment that empowers) the families of children who suffer from cancer.

MAHAK has also gained consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as a result of which we have joined the concerted global endeavor to accomplish the strategic Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations member states, as well as the World Cancer Declaration targets by 2025.  A dazzling drop in cancer-related child mortality rates in Iran from over 80% before MAHAK to fewer than 15% today, underscores the fact that the fourth MDG, namely reducing child mortality, has been largely achieved in Iran in the sphere of pediatric cancer.  In order to make the most of this accomplishment for the community, MAHAK is undertaking an active role in fostering collaborative, synergistic relationships with sister organizations abroad, while focusing domestically on integrating best practices and sharing lessons learned.

As for raising organizational standards to global levels, MAHAK was recognized by the Société Generale de Surveillance (SGS) and awarded the Verified Certificate of NGO Benchmarking in November 2007- a major accomplishment.  We are the first non-governmental organization in the Middle East to have obtained such a certificate and the fact that the organization is ranked in the top ten globally among over 260 non-governmental organizations recently audited by SGS for NGO benchmarking verifies its organizational integrity and global stature.

MAHAK’s slogan, ‘Help us and let us help you’ reflects our love of humanity and our motivation. During the past two decades, we have successfully built a specialized pediatric cancer hospital & research center and have managed to provide comprehensive coverage to over to 23,000 cancer-stricken children of every nationality, religion, and ethnicity and their respective families, all funded exclusively by the generous contributions of individual benefactors and through corporate sponsorship programs.