Mahak
Encyclopedia
The Mahak Society to Support Children with Cancer is a non-governmental organisation in Tehran
dedicated to helping Iranian children with cancer. It runs an 18000 sq m hospital in the north of Tehran.
In 2003, MAHAK’s Hospital and Rehabilitation center in Darabad
was completed. The center is situated in Tehran’s north eastern hills and comprises an 18000 square meters building equipped to accommodate up to 120 children, each accompanied by a member of their family. The center houses diagnostic and treatment wards of the highest standards, on a par with those seen anywhere else.
Within the center, there are other facilities offered such as a clinic, a chemotherapy laboratory, radiotherapy section, physiotherapy ward, water therapy section, operation rooms, MRI and CT Scan
, Radiology
, ICU, library, children's playroom, restaurant, amphitheatre and a shopping center. The various parts of the complex have been furnished with the help of charitable individuals and as a gesture of gratitude each section has been named after the donor.
The two rehabilitation wards are fully functional and are laid out over two floors, with 15 rooms on the first floor for children accompanied by a female member of their immediate family and with another 15 on the second floor for those children who need to be accompanied by a male family member. There is also a playroom provided for the children, a sitting area for the families and a kitchenette.
Currently, these wards are run by 14 nursing graduates in three shifts around the clock. Two social workers offer their services in two shifts of morning and afternoon and two psychiatrists are available in the afternoon shifts. In the afternoons a number of volunteers visit the ward to play with the children.
The Society’s team of social workers is fully active in children’s oncology wards in nine hospitals throughout Tehran, where they provide children and their parents with medical treatment and support.
MAHAK pays all related expenses including X-rays, test, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, food, clothing and all accommodation during their treatment. Since 60% of the children come to Tehran from the provinces, the Social Work Department arranges for their transfer by ambulance or plane.
MAHAK has been officially recognized by UNHCR as the organization which helps refugee children (Afghan and Iraqi) with cancer both in and out of refugee camps.
Saideh Ghods received the 2008 IDB prize from the Islamic Development Bank
for her work with Mahak
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
dedicated to helping Iranian children with cancer. It runs an 18000 sq m hospital in the north of Tehran.
Foundation of MAHAK
The organisation was founded in 1991 by Saideh Ghods. She had experienced having a child with cancer and had witnessed first hand the difficulties faced by her child, and pledged that she would set up a center that would act as a sanctuary for children and their families in a similar situation. With the assistance of the same friends and relatives who had helped her through her own ordeal, a board of governors was selected and the “MAHAK Society to Support Children with Cancer” was set up as a non profit, non-governmental organization. MAHAK has been active from that day in helping children with cancer and their families and has grown beyond anyone’s expectations. MAHAK is funded entirely by donations and has supported 11,505 children over the past 17 years.MAHAK hospital and rehabilitation center
Darabad
Darabad is a quarter in north-eastern Tehran, the capital city of Iran.Darabad is a former village on the slopes of the Alborz mountain range to the northeast of Tehran, which has become part of the Greater Tehran area as a result of rapid expansion of the Tehran Metropolis...
was completed. The center is situated in Tehran’s north eastern hills and comprises an 18000 square meters building equipped to accommodate up to 120 children, each accompanied by a member of their family. The center houses diagnostic and treatment wards of the highest standards, on a par with those seen anywhere else.
Within the center, there are other facilities offered such as a clinic, a chemotherapy laboratory, radiotherapy section, physiotherapy ward, water therapy section, operation rooms, MRI and CT Scan
Computed tomography
X-ray computed tomography or Computer tomography , is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing...
, Radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, ICU, library, children's playroom, restaurant, amphitheatre and a shopping center. The various parts of the complex have been furnished with the help of charitable individuals and as a gesture of gratitude each section has been named after the donor.
Operation
The wards were equipped and began operation in August 2003, when the first patient was admitted.The two rehabilitation wards are fully functional and are laid out over two floors, with 15 rooms on the first floor for children accompanied by a female member of their immediate family and with another 15 on the second floor for those children who need to be accompanied by a male family member. There is also a playroom provided for the children, a sitting area for the families and a kitchenette.
Currently, these wards are run by 14 nursing graduates in three shifts around the clock. Two social workers offer their services in two shifts of morning and afternoon and two psychiatrists are available in the afternoon shifts. In the afternoons a number of volunteers visit the ward to play with the children.
The Society’s team of social workers is fully active in children’s oncology wards in nine hospitals throughout Tehran, where they provide children and their parents with medical treatment and support.
MAHAK pays all related expenses including X-rays, test, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, food, clothing and all accommodation during their treatment. Since 60% of the children come to Tehran from the provinces, the Social Work Department arranges for their transfer by ambulance or plane.
MAHAK has been officially recognized by UNHCR as the organization which helps refugee children (Afghan and Iraqi) with cancer both in and out of refugee camps.
Awards
In 2007, the organisation was presented with the Swiss SGS NGO Benchmarking award for the best and most transparent NGO in the Middle East.Saideh Ghods received the 2008 IDB prize from the Islamic Development Bank
Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
for her work with Mahak