Organizational structure

MMCC is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, which has been creating, organizing and performing educational entertainment-performances and art workshops for children in Afghanistan since 2002. The NGO is independent of any political, religious or ethnic interests

MMCC is supervised by an international Board of Directors, managed by David Mason and Berit Muhlhausen, and staffed by a team of 12-14 Afghan artists, teachers and custodians. The organization was established to support educational entertaining activities for children in Afghanistan at a time when the capacity for organizing and running a new NGO was very limited. The aim from the very beginning has been to hand over the responsibility for the activities to the Afghans as soon as a properly qualified organizational base is established and sustained.

In spring 2006 a new Afghan-MMCC organization was established. The local NGO is managed by Shaher Poopal, local director and Hamid Ruhan, mobile director in close cooperation with all further Afghan staff. The new Afghan-MMCC organization is gradually taking over the responsibility for continuing the activities as a pure Afghan project under the umbrella and supervision of MMCC-International.

The transition from Danish management to Afghan management and ownership is essential in making MMCC a sustainable organization. A search to find and train Afghan management, particularly in systems of accounting and fundraising, remains one of the highest priorities of the organization. It is anticipated that the timeframe for the transition of ownership will be two years. The process, which requires comprehensive organizational training and supervision, is approved and supported by the Danish government.

MMCC’s activities are developed, adapted, applied, conducted, supervised, expanded and administered by Afghan artists. David Mason and Berit Muhlhausen are primarily responsible for managing finances, fundraising, international contacts and capacity building. The International and Afghan Board of Directors assists with fundraising and long-term planning.

The core principles guiding MMCC’s organizational structure are:

1. Sustainability
2. Independence
3. Integrity
4. Commitment to the children
5. Growth

Along with developing and sustaining the Afghan-MMCC organization, the International MMCC organization is continuing and expanding its activities. The organization is based in Denmark, where it is housed by Settlementet, an organization with 85 years of experience with civil society and cultural projects. MMCC-Internationals chairman, Johs. Bertelsen, is director of Settlementet, which is a source of inspiration for development of MMCC.

More than anything, MMCC is a broad international network that is continuously expanding. In addition to the Danish-based organization, MMCC has a Japanese support committee and a large number of individual supporters in 15 countries all over the world. The network is important, not only for financial support, but because it is a huge human resource consisting of all kinds of people from artists to businessmen and from circus-equipment suppliers to intellectuals.