Digital innovation to fundraise and strengthen cancer care systems for children in Iran

MAHAK Charity Institute (Society to Support Children Suffering from Cancer) is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation founded by Saideh Ghods in 1991, inspired by her personal experience of having a child with cancer.  

The organisation began as a volunteer-led initiative supporting children in public and university hospitals, before becoming a registered non-governmental, non-profit body under Iran’s Ministry of Interior.

In the late 1990s, MAHAK set out to build a dedicated hospital for children with cancer. Land was purchased in northern Tehran, and construction began around 1999. The MAHAK Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center was completed and opened in phases between 2003 and 2007.

Across Iran, MAHAK supports families receiving care in public hospitals, offering help with treatment costs, medicines, transport, and accommodation. It also runs psychosocial support programmes, including counselling and activities for children and parents, and regularly organises awareness campaigns, charity bazaars, and education initiatives to engage the wider public.

MAHAK has supported over 45,000 children, and over 16, 000, continue to be followed long-term. In the field of research, MAHAK has collaborated with numerous national and international research organisations, including the Gustave Roussy Research Center in France, as well as the Royan Institute, Avicenna Research Institute, and the Cancer Institute in Iran. Its policy is that no child should be denied treatment because of cost, and that families should be free to focus on care and recovery, without financial obstacles.

New digital tools to support engagement and service delivery

The organisation does not receive government funding and relies entirely on donations from the public, charity events, membership fees, and voluntary contributions.

Until recently, the organisation has relied heavily on traditional payments and lacked the tools to stay in contact with individual donors, measure the results of its outreach, and build sustainable engagement.

MAHAK began shifting towards a digital model over the past two years, starting with a review of more than 200 international examples.

This move towards digital fundraising came as MAHAK recognised that its traditional donor model had limits. “We asked ourselves, why should donors come back, and what motivates them to continue supporting MAHAK?” said Samyar Mohsenifar, CMO and Digital Developer at MAHAK in a discussion with UICC. “The answer was that they need an experience, they need knowledge, and they need to understand their contribution to society.”

“More than 80% of MAHAK’s funding comes from individual donors, with the remainder from corporate and international partners. These include organisations such as the International Society for Children with Cancer, which holds annual fundraising events. Recent donations have funded medical equipment, including radiotherapy systems at MAHAK’s hospital in Tehran,” said Hadieh Eslampanah, Director of International Development and Communications at MAHAK in a discussion with UICC.

“MAHAK developed the MAHAK Super Application as a way to strengthen long-term and sustainable relationships with its donors. The app allows individual users and companies to create their own fundraising or awareness campaigns and share them within their own networks. Supporters can also follow how their contributions are used,” said Mohsenifar.

“This app is not just about making a donation, it’s about creating a lasting connection and giving supporters a clear view of how their contributions are making a difference,” said Elampanah.

The app is expected to support MAHAK’s considerable regional and international outreach around it’s activities for World Cancer Day on 4 February 2026. Elampanah and Mohsenifar said the organisation is building a database of national and international celebrities and influencers to record messages for children and families. Local users will also be encouraged to run their own campaigns through the app.

Eslampanah said MAHAK Application is currently available in Persian, with an English-language version in development. Future updates will include options for international payments, as well as new features such as telehealth and telemedicine services.

Digital strategy rooted in community and sustainability

Mohsenifar said that while the app is central to MAHAK’s digital work, the organisation is also investing in data systems, marketing tools, and other infrastructure to manage its relationships with a donor base that now includes more than ten million people each year. “These systems allow MAHAK to segment users, track engagement over time, and run campaigns without relying on costly advertising or traditional media.”

This approach also makes it easier to engage communities directly. “We are building a broad community of MAHAK ambassadors,” said Mohsenifar. “Each person can use the app to create a campaign and mobilise their own network.”

MAHAK works with public figures and micro-influencers but puts greater focus on ordinary users. “We’re not relying solely on celebrity endorsements,” said Elampanah. “Everyone with a social network can support the cause.” Influencers who do take part are recognised through a gamified system that rewards engagement and visibility, rather than offering payment.

The digital tools have also helped MAHAK keep in regular contact with supporters. In addition to campaign updates, the app features stories from survivors and families, and other content related to MAHAK’s work. A recent initiative allowed children receiving support to upload artwork, which was linked to donations in an interactive way.

Mohsenifar and Eslampanah noted that internally, moving to digital systems required  organisational-wide changes particularly in large and complex institutions like MAHAK. They highlighted MAHK CEO Ahmadian’s insight: “You can develop an app or buy one, but without a digital mindset, it won’t work.”. To reinforce this, the CEO and the Board held sessions to explain to personnel at various levels and cross-functional teams, the significance of digital transformation.

As digital tools take on a greater role, MAHAK continues to expand its technical capacity. “Right now, by launching the MAHAK application, it goes much easier for us to work on our data of supporters, donors, and followers, as well as our fundraising project management,” said Mohsenifar.