TEHRAN — MAHAK, a charity society dedicated to treating pediatric cancer in Iran, has become the top scorer in the global SGS NGO Benchmark practice with a score of 97.5% ranking first among 328 NGOs worldwide.

SGS (formerly Société Générale de Surveillance which is French for General Society of Surveillance) is a multinational company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland which provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services. It has more than 95,000 employees and operates over 2,400 offices and laboratories worldwide.

In response to the demand for an independent, globally relevant standard for assessing the accountability of an NGO, SGS has developed the NGO Benchmark. NGO benchmarking empowers organizations to detect risks and weaknesses and correct them before it is too late. This is paramount for any organization that aspires to achieve a long lasting impact through the transparent, efficient and effective use of financing.

Since it was first benchmarked in 2007, MAHAK has made considerable efforts to improve its transparency and accountability, with focus on continuous improvement as a principle, SGS official website wrote. 

MAHAK decided to apply for re-certification to make sure its organization keeps up with high standards of quality and integrity, and ultimately it reached this impressive rank on its 8th audit.

SGS NGO Benchmarking offers a holistic good governance assessment covering all major risk areas for NGOs, and it has helped MAHAK to achieve sustainability, increase the public trust in its organization, and better improve the quality and quantity of services provided to cancer-stricken children and their families.

Being 27 years old MAHAK has become the top scorer NGO worldwide among 328 NGOs participating the 8th round of benchmarking audit, the CEO of MAHAK Arasb Ahmadian said, adding that 172 NGOs from America, 24 NGOs from Europe, 51 NGOs from Africa and 81 NGOSs from Asia took part in the audit. 

Ahmadian highlighted that MAHAK is the first NGO in the Middle East to receive NGO Benchmarking certification.

According to SGS website NGO Benchmarking certification audit was developed by SGS in 2001 to provide a universal 'trust standard' for NGOs. A consolidation of various codes and standards, the benchmark provides NGOs with the critical independent insight about their governance and accountability. It empowers organizations to set measurable improvement steps. To date hundreds of NGOs have been benchmarked against International Best Practices, across 54 countries in the world.

Ahmadian went on to say that the ever-expanding family of MAHAK has been supporting cancer-stricken children and their families for 27 years. As a result of the benevolence of Iranian society in all circumstances, whether good or bad, the treatment of children with cancer has not been stopped even in economic hardships. 

“Over the years, as a result of the constant patronage and care of the ever-expanding family of MAHAK toward children with cancer and their families thousands of children have received treatment and supportive services and over 6,000 children have survived cancer.

“This important milestone is an honor for Iranians and we congratulate this success to Iranian philanthropists and hope that we can have the lowest rates of cancer and the highest survivorship rates, which will only be possible if you stand by children with cancer and their families,” Ahmadian concluded. 

MQ/MG